Roger's Next Step
by horseaholic
Summary: After Mimi and Angel’s deaths, Roger and Collins seek comfort through their friends. Roger sinks into a depression until a new girl literally crashes into his life and changes it forever. RogerOC. MarkOC, too.
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimers apply. This is my first RENT story. It is Roger-centric. Roger and Mark will be paired with Original Characters.

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Collins felt numb. His breath quickened. His love, Angel Dumott Schunard, was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was Angel's time to leave this Earth. AZT wouldn't help; not countless doses of it. Praying to God wouldn't help. Whether they liked it or not, Angel was at the end of her life.

Collins was sitting in the hospital bed with her, rocking her, trying to calm the both of them. Angel was crying, panicking; Collins realized he was, too.

"I'll never forget you, Angel Dumott Schunard," he murmured to her. "You saved my ass that day in the alley, after all."

"And you were more of a man than I ever thought I'd get, Thomas. Thank you."

Then Angel took her last breath, a content smile on her pale face.

Collins let the tears fall as he hugged Angel one last time, giving her a kiss on her forehead, and then tore himself away and went out to the hall. He pressed himself against the wall, his chest heaving, as he began hyperventilating, and his blood ran cold. He sank slowly and hopelessly to the floor.

One of the doctors came out and put a hand on Collins' tense shoulder. He recoiled away from it.

"I'm so sad for you," said the doctor. "He's—"

"She," Collins said automatically, his voice filled with pain, "she, damn it!"

"My apologies," said the doctor, as he realized what Collins was talking about. "She's in a better place now... away from pain, grief, and despair."

Collins stood up swiftly in anger, and jerked away from the doctor. Then he turned back around, as a thought surfaced.

"Is that what you doctors always say when a patient dies? Although, I suppose, in your opinion, she wasn't really a patient, just because AIDS killed her. Was she just someone you took in because we paid you with all we had? Did you just take her in because you have that Hip— Hippo—"

His voice choked off to sobs, so the doctor finished the sentence for him. "Hippocratic Oath," he said. "No, that's the reason. We never turn anyone away, even if they're uninsured. Does she have anyone she would have wanted informed if she died?"

"No," said Collins. "She's been on her own for years, disowned by the family she had left, until she found us."

"So you wish to claim her body, since you're nearest kin?"

"There's no question about that, Doctor."

"Collins."

Collins whipped around. Mark was standing there, Roger, Mimi, Maureen, and Joanne beside him. Mark didn't have to say but one thing for Collins to understand what he was talking about.

"It's happened, hasn't it?"

Collins nodded; his throat was too painfully tight for words.

"She was good to all of us," said Mimi, holding him close. "We'll all miss her forever."

"What are we gonna do with the body?" Collins asked, barely able to speak past the lump in his throat.

"We'll find a funeral home," Mark said, fighting back his own tears, "one that will take her as she is. Did she say where she wanted to be laid to rest?"

Collins shook his head. "No," he said, "there wasn't time. She just wanted someone to be with… and that was me."

"Knowing Angel, anywhere will be fine with her," said Mimi. "But I think it should be somewhere close to home."

There was a general agreement to this statement.

"What about the park nearby?" Maureen asked. "We could ask the city for permission to bury her there."

"You mean, where all the little kids play?" Mark asked, taken aback.

"You bet."

"No way, they'd never let us," Collins said disbelievingly. But he still looked hopeful.

"We should start asking around," Mark said. "I'll see if I can find anyone who'll do it."

"OK," said Roger, "and we'll go to the nearest funeral home and see if they'll accommodate us."

"Right," said Collins. "Mark, go." Mark nodded and disappeared. "The rest of you, come with me."

Collins turned and walked out, his friends right behind him.

* * *

"Get out of here! We don't help queers like you!"

Collins stared at the slammed door in front of him, stunned. They'd just been kicked out of one of the funeral homes for being different… he'd called them queers! They were Bohemians, not queers!

"Just because you have no imagination, just because we're different! Or is it because we're poor?" Collins yelled at the closed door, enraged.

He felt a hand on his shoulder again. "Collins," Roger said, "come on, we'll find another place. Come on." He began to slowly pull Collins away, when they heard a new voice.

"Roger! Collins!"

It was Mark. He raced up to them on his bike, screeched to a stop, and jumped off.

"Guys," he said, "I found a place that will take Angel. Come on, it's not far from here, maybe six blocks."

They all followed him curiously. He walked his bike next to them as they made their way to the funeral home, and a little while later, they were there. The coroner met them outside.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said. Although they all knew those were automatic words he was required to say, Collins still flinched. "Come in, we'll talk."

"Oh… well, maybe just a few of us should go for now?" Mark suggested. "Just Collins and Mimi, will that do? You two knew her best."

Collins cast a worried glance at Mark and Roger, and then he went in with Mimi.

"Mark," Joanne said quietly to him, "how are we gonna pay for this?"

"When my second advance comes in, I'll send it straight here," said Mark. "Mr. Hanson, that coroner we just spoke to, already agreed to that."

The rest of the group sighed with relief.

"And he said he'd accommodate us for… future deaths," Mark said hesitantly, swallowing.

They all knew nearly every one of them had a premature death that was inevitable and approaching faster than they liked.

* * *

Collins and Mimi reappeared outside a little while later.

"We're on for Friday," Mimi said.

Collins came forward and gave Mark a hug. "Thank you, my brother."

Mark smiled. "That's what friends are for, Collins."

* * *

_One month later..._

Roger was pacing around the apartment, his brow furrowed with worry. Neither he nor Mark had gotten to the phone on time when it had rang today, and he had just listened to a voicemail that Benny had left, and it chilled his blood.

"Hey, guys, it's Benny. Look, I was wondering if you've seen Mimi. I haven't seen her in a couple of weeks. She dropped out of rehab... and I'm afraid that she may have started using again. If you find out anything, let me know."

The hours passed by in a dazed blur for Roger, as the entire group began to look for Mimi.

"Hi, Roger, Mark, it's Maureen... still no sign of Mimi. I just wanna know if she's all right. Joanne and I printed up some fliers..."

"Hey, it's Collins, just checking in. I'll call back if we hear anything. You heard from Mimi?"

"Roger, I spoke to the manager of the Cat Scratch Club. She hasn't shown up for work..."

"Roger, are you there? Look, I just went to the police station and I filed a missing-persons report. I spoke to a friend of Mimi's who said she saw her three weeks ago. She hasn't picked up her AZT in a while. She's been living on the street for a couple of weeks now..."

"It's Collins again. I'm really starting to get worried. How can she survive...?"

Finally, several long hours later, Roger heard Maureen yell, "Mark? Roger? Anyone? Help! It's Mimi! I can't get her up the stairs!" Maureen yelled.

"No!" Roger exclaimed.

"She was huddled in the park... in the dark... and she was freezing, and begged to come here," Maureen said.

"Over here. "Oh, God..." Roger said.

"No room on the couch," said Joanne.

"Just clear off the table, we'll put her there," said Roger.

Mimi was mumbling deliriously, but Roger recognized familiar words. "Got a light... I know you... you're shivering..."

"She's been living on the street," Joanne said.

"We need some heat," Roger said.

"We can buy some wood and something to eat," Mark said.

"I'm afraid she needs more than heat," Collins said. "She's going into hypothermia."

Mimi opened her eyes slightly. "I heard that," she whispered.

"Collins will call for a doctor, honey," Maureen said to Mimi, kneeling close to her.

"Don't waste your money on me, me, Mimi..." Mimi murmured.

"Hello, 911?" said Collins. Then he glared at nothing. "Oh, my God, I'm on hold! They can't do this to us!"

"Cold… cold… would you light my candle?" Mimi stuttered.

"Yes," said Roger, his eyes wide and scared. "Oh, God, find her a candle, guys, quick."

He didn't really know what to do, except start singing to keep her comfortable. She sang along with him as best she could.

_I should tell you  
__I should tell you_

_I should tell you  
__I should tell you_

"I should tell you Benny wasn't any—"

"Shhh. I know."

_I should tell you why I left  
__It wasn't 'cause I didn't—_

"I know."

_I should tell you  
__I should tell you_

_I should tell you_

"I love you..."

Then Mimi collapsed into a coughing fit, and Roger summed up his remaining courage and began to sing again.

_Who do you think you are, leaving me alone with my guitar? _He grasped her hand tightly. _Hold on, there's something you should hear. It isn't much, but it took all year..._

Roger waited until Mimi was looking at him again, and then he began to sing:

_Your eyes  
__As we said our goodbyes  
__Can't get them out of my mind  
__And I find  
__I can't hide_

_From your eyes  
__The ones that took me by surprise  
__The night you came into my life  
__Where there's moonlight  
__I see your eyes_

_How'd I let you slip away  
__W__hen I'm longing so to hold you?  
__Now I'd die for one more day  
__'Cause there's something __I should have told you  
__Yes, there's something __I should have told you_

_When I looked into your eyes  
__Why does distance make us wise?  
__You were the song all along  
__And before the song dies_

_I should tell you  
__I should tell you  
__I have always loved you  
__You can see it in my eyes_

Mimi coughed harshly again, then went limp. Roger held her and they waited.

Several long seconds later, Mimi coughed and came back to consciousness. "Roger..."

"Mimi," they all breathed. She summed up what remained of her feeble strength and sat up.

"I was heading toward this warm… white light. And I swear… Angel was there… and she looked good!"

They laughed.

Mimi looked at Roger and leaned her forehead against his. "She said, 'Turn around, girlfriend… and listen to that boy's song.'"

"Her fever's breaking," Maureen said, smiling.

"But Roger…" Mimi inhaled a ragged breath. "I don't have much time…"

"Mimi," he choked, as she collapsed onto the table again, her eyes closing for the last time. "Mimi… I love you… Please… don't leave me…"

The tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over. He broke down and fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. The others were crying, too, but nobody felt the loss as deeply, and as painfully, as Roger.

Maureen came over to Roger and put a comforting arm around him, as Mimi said one last thing.

"I should tell you… I will always love you."

Then Mimi took her last breaths.

"She's in a better place now, Roger," Maureen said. "We'll all miss her. She made a dent in our lives; a good dent, that is, especially in yours. She made our lives worth living, just like Angel did."

* * *

_Thanks for reading._

_Until next time, lots of love,_

_Renthead07_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - I Wanted to Die**

* * *

Roger lay in bed, feeling nothing but the blood pumping slowly through his body. He had long ago lost track of the days. Time didn't matter for him anymore. He strayed out of thought. Mimi was dead. She was gone. She was never coming back.

Half of him wanted to cry because he missed her so terribly. But the other half of him wanted to laugh, or at least feel better, because she was no longer in any pain from her dependency on the drugs and other issues. But still, her living on the street for those few weeks had resulted in her death…

He was jerked out his daze when there was a yell from downstairs. "Roger?" Mark had returned from buying groceries for the week. "Roger, are you here?"

Roger managed to roll himself out of his bed and walk across the hall to the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself and locked it. Walking a few feet further in, he opened the cabinet above the sink and stared at the contents within. There was AZT, painkillers, cough and cold medicine… just about everything.

He reached for the sleeping pills and took out the bottle. Opening it, he shook out a couple pills and downed them with a glass of water. Then he stared at the bottle for a few long seconds. He shook out a few more pills and swallowed them.

Then, without even thinking about what the consequences might be, he shook out about 20 more pills and tossed them all into his mouth. They tasted horrid, but water washed away the bitterness, and they soon were gone, too.

"Roger," Mark called again.

Roger slowly turned his head and looked over his shoulder at the closed door. He heard Mark knocking and trying to open the door.

"Roger, are you OK? Answer me!"

"I'm f-fine…" Roger stammered.

"You don't sound fine. What are you doing? Let me in right now! The others are here, too. Collins, Maureen, Benny and Joanne. What's wrong? Talk to me."

"I can't take this, Mark," Roger said.

But the next few things his best friend yelled at him turned into a drone of nothing, because Roger felt his head starting to spin and the ground rushed up to meet him a few minutes later.

"Roger!" Mark yelled at the closed door. Maureen and the others joined him. "Somebody get a screwdriver, he's locked the door."

Benny promptly kicked the door in. Mark was about to yell at him for ruining the door, but then he saw his friend sprawled on the floor with the half-empty bottle of pills spilled nearby. He ran over to him.

"Oh, my God, check for a pulse!" Maureen exclaimed.

Mark moved his hand slowly down to the side of Roger's neck. He was scared of what he might find… or not find.

He lightly pressed his fingertips to the side of Roger's neck and waited, holding his breath.

"Nothing," he said. The others made loud noises of sheer disbelief and Mark moved his hand around. "Wait, no— I had my hand in the wrong spot." Mark looked up. "He's alive." He let out his breath in a rush of relief.

"We have to take him to the hospital," Joanne demanded.

"No." Mark looked at his friends and he shook his head. "No! We are not taking him. Roger hates hospitals, and that will only make whatever happened worse. Plus, he's breathing and his pulse is regular. That's my sleeping pills. It hasn't been opened yet, so we can count and see how many are missing later. Check for yourself."

"He's right," said Collins, after he checked it.

"We should get him out of here. Put him on the couch downstairs," said Mark.

"I'll call 911," said Benny.

Mark sighed. "All right, but Roger won't be happy. If he stays out until we get to the hospital, then there won't be any… difficulty… on that part."

"Please be OK, Roger," Mark begged his friend quietly. And taking Roger's hand, they waited.

* * *

Mark was still sitting by Roger's beside, in the hospital, when he noticed Roger was starting to stir. According to the doctor's earlier word, Roger hadn't taken enough pills to do any damage; but if he had woken up, he would have been seriously delirious and wouldn't have recognized anybody.

"Thank God he stayed out, then," said Maureen. "So he's going to be OK?"

"Yes," said Mark, "he's going to be fine. But they're going to give him a psychological exam, since they think he attempted suicide." Mark looked at the other bohemians. "Do you guys _think_ he was trying to kill himself?"

"No," said Collins, and the others shook their heads. "It was probably just an accident. He's been very… off… since Mimi died."

Roger was mumbling something that Mark couldn't hear. "Guys," Mark said, "shh… listen." He leaned closer to his friend, in case he would make sense of or hear what Roger was mumbling.

"Don't waste… your money on me… Mimi… Find a candle… light my candle… I should tell you… will join you and Angel soon…"

Mark cast a worried look at his fellow bohemians. "He really did want to die. Great, now he'll be on suicide watch."

Mark decided to wake Roger up, so he'd stop mumbling. "Rog," he said, shaking his friend lightly, "Rog, wake up. Roger, it's time to leave the world of the dead and join the world of the living."

Mark saw Roger's eyes start to flutter until they opened. Roger sat up and looked around, confused. He felt something in his hand and he looked down to see somebody holding his hand. Roger's vision cleared to find Mark looking at him with concern-filled eyes.

"Hey, Rog, how are you feeling?" Mark asked his roommate, squeezing his hand. Roger looked dumbfounded.

"Mark, why are you holding my hand? Why are you here, instead of out with the others?"

"They're here, too; Collins, Maureen, Joanne, Benny. Look around, Rog," Mark said gently.

Roger did and he smiled slightly as he saw his friends, all except Mimi and Angel. Then he collapsed onto his bed, the tears starting to well up in his eyes as reality sank in, and a moment later, he voiced his pain.

"Damn it, you guys! Don't you get it?" he exclaimed.

Mark looked at Roger, confused. "You're not happy to see us?" he asked, feeling hurt.

"I am happy to see you. Extremely happy, but don't you get it?" Roger still wouldn't lower his voice.

"Don't we get what?" Mark asked, afraid of what was coming to him.

"I was flying through a long, dark tunnel, toward a warm, bright light."

Mark shot the others a more concerned look this time. They'd heard these words before, less than two months ago…

"Angel was there, and Mimi… Mark, I saw her! Then I felt my world shaking, and as much as I tried to stay there, I kept being pulled back! I was spinning and so dizzy, I couldn't see anything… everything was suddenly black… And then I ended up here, with you staring at me and holding my hand!"

Roger was becoming hysterical, and Benny discreetly pressed the nurse call button, as the tears flowed down Roger's face and he began to cry and scream.

"Damn it, Mark, damn it, all of you; I wanted to die!"

Roger jerked his hand away from Mark as a nurse came running in with a syringe full of sedative. Mark stood up in front of her and tried to stop her from administering it to Roger.

"No, don't," said Mark. "He's fine, just upset. He'll calm down if you let us talk to him."

But Roger otherwise could not be restrained, as much as the others tried. Soon, the needle slid beneath his skin, and his body relaxed within seconds, and he was out.

Mark closed his eyes in frustration and looked at his friends again. He glared at the nurse.

"I was hoping that wouldn't happen," he said bitterly, through clenched teeth. "But we"— he indicated to his friends— "all know how he gets when he's in a hospital…"

No one said anything, but Mark said a few hesitant nods and throats swallowing.

"They aren't going to let him out of here while he's still what looks like suicidal," said Mark. "When's his mental exam?" he asked the nurse.

"As soon as he stops thrashing around and trying to break our machines," said the nurse, throwing Mark a nasty look. "I'd give it another couple of days."

Mark nodded. "Thank you. You can go. We'll make sure he doesn't freak out again." The nurse gave him a suspicious look. "We're his _friends_; he won't do anything to us. Seriously, you can go."

The nurse cast him another suspicious look, but then nodded and left. Mark sighed aloud with relief and turned back to looking at Roger, who was unconscious. It did not have to be voiced aloud that no one would leave the room until Roger woke up, calmed down, and could be persuaded to take his psychological exam. That would be their next step.

* * *

_Please review._

_Until next time, lots of love,_

_Renthead07_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - His Own Pace**

* * *

A few weeks later, Roger had been released from the hospital and was doing slightly better than he had been before. His near-death experience had brought on a new reality for him. He couldn't just sit around, sulking, like he had been, or he would never move on. He had to do something about his grief, but that something had to be positive. Obviously, Angel and Mimi did have a say in whether he lived or died for his grief… and it almost made him laugh.

At first, Mark and the others wouldn't let Roger out of the apartment without an accompaniment at all times. But gradually, as he began to seek help in counseling and got his antidepressant and anxiety medications figured out, they eased up on the tight leash they had put him on. He knew, though, that they were doing this simply because they all cared deeply for him. After all, Mark had been his best friend since preschool. And although Roger couldn't voice it to him, he was forever grateful that Mark had stood by his side through all of this, even before Mimi had died.

He was out helping Mark buy groceries for the week, when he neglected to watch where he was going, and he crashed headlong into someone. The grocery bags went flying from his hands as he yelped with surprise, and then he heard a girl's voice.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry. Are you OK?"

He looked up and saw the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen, framed by tendrils of red hair.

"Yeah," he stuttered, "yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"I'll pay for the damages."

"No, it's OK. It's just that, it's normally the guy running into the girl."

The girl smiled as she helped Roger pick up his groceries. "Well, welcome to me and my randomly deranged life. Most things that happen to me are not cliché or typical in any way."

Roger smiled. "Sounds like fun; must be a better life than mine, anyway."

"Well, it can be fun, but it gets scary at times. What's your name?"

"Roger Davis."

"I'm Evangeline, Evangeline Simmons."

"That's a nice name. Can I call you Eve?"

"Sure. No one's called me that before, but it sounds nice."

Mark, who had his share of groceries in his hand, was watching them from behind Roger. Eve looked over Roger's shoulder and Roger realized Mark was watching them.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Eve," he stammered. "But I should go. My roommate's waiting for me." Roger jerked his shaking thumb over his shoulder, and Eve smiled at Mark.

"Can I get your address, so I can pay you back?" Eve asked.

"No," said Roger, "really, that's not necessary…"

But Eve insisted. "It's fine," she said. "Plus, then I can see you again."

Roger smiled. "OK, sounds good." He gave her his address. "Just stop by whenever you want."

"All right, thanks… Roger. See you later, then."

"Bye, Eve."

Roger stood up and turned around. Mark gave him an encouraging smile; he was glad Roger was taking steps to get his life back to normal, at his own pace.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Flashback**

* * *

A little while later, Roger had helped Mark put away the groceries, but Mark could see his mind was still somewhere else. Then Mark noticed something on the window. It was a message.

"'Eve,'" Mark read. Then he pointed down, copying the arrow's direction. "She's waiting for you downstairs?" he added to Roger questioningly. "Why didn't we see her when we arrived?"

"No clue," said Roger, but he smirked and Mark could see he was interested. "I'll go see if I can find her. I'll be back soon-"

But Roger was near the door when he suddenly froze and gasped. Mark watched as his eyes closed and he put his head in his hands. Mark didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Roger?" Mark asked hesitantly. "Roger, are you OK?"

Roger didn't answer.

_He was seeing Mimi, when they first met. She walked into the loft with an unlit candle and he asked her if she'd forgotten something. She asked him for a light and he said she looked familiar. They sang to each other, about April and Roger's past, and then they sang some more and danced. They introduced themselves to each other and then Mimi was gone._

Roger came out of the flashback to Mark shaking him lightly. "M-Mark?" he stammered.

"Roger, you OK?" Mark asked for about the tenth time. "You went kinda distant. What happened?"

"F-flashback," Roger stuttered, "about Mimi and h-how we first met."

"What do you think triggered it?"

Roger merely pointed a shaking finger toward the window, on which Eve had written her name and drawn an arrow in the frost. Just like Mimi had, two years ago…

"Oh," said Mark, and he went over and promptly erased it with his sleeve. "There, it's gone, are you OK now?"

Roger nodded, but then changed his mind, and shook his head. Mark grabbed him and made him sit down on the couch. Roger keeled right over and lay there, trying to regain his senses.

"I'll go tell Eve you can't make it tonight," said Mark. "Maybe she'll come up here. She's quite like Mimi, you know… only quieter."

Roger nodded wearily. "Thanks, Mark. I appreciate it."

Mark nodded silently and went downstairs. He knocked on Eve's door and she answered.

"Hey, Eve," he said.

"Mark," said Eve, "is everything okay?"

"Roger's upstairs, but he's not feeling so well," said Mark. "Can he take a rain-check on seeing you?"

"Is he OK?" she asked, standing up.

"Yeah, he's just a little off, probably getting a cold or something. You can come up and see him if you want."

"OK, I will, but if he's not feeling well, I won't stay long." She followed Mark back upstairs. "Hey, Roger, I hear you're not feeling so well," she said to Roger.

"Not exactly, but thanks for the concern."

Eve walked around the loft, looking around. "So this is your place, huh?" she said.

"Yeah, this is our place. I apologize for the mess, but I haven't really had a chance to clean."

"It's not a big deal," said Eve. "We can wait until you're feeling better, then get dinner or something."

"Okay," said Roger. "We can just meet here."

Eve pointed to Roger's guitar. "Are you a musician?"

"Yes, unsigned," said Roger. "I perform gigs around the city. Sometime I'll take you to the Life Café, you'll like it there."

"OK." Eve made her way to the door. "Well, I just thought I'd stop by, make sure you were OK. Oh, here, before I forget"— she walked over to him and handed him a slip of paper— "here's the check for your groceries I ruined."

Roger sighed, but he was smiling. There was no use in arguing with her about that again. "Well… thanks."

Eve nodded. "You're welcome. Bye, Roger."

Then she left.

* * *

A few hours later, Roger was feeling better, so he met up with Eve, as promised, downstairs, and they went to the Life Café.

"Table for two, please," he told the server. They went and sat down and ordered their food.

Roger spent an entire two hours with Eve, talking about her, rather than himself. He wanted to get to know her, and he also wasn't sure how much about himself he wanted her to know right away. He was worried it would freak her out.

They finished their meal and went back to the loft. Mark was there, editing a new work-in-progress.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Roger asked, curious.

"I'm 18," she said, "so close enough. I'm on my own, anyways, so does it really matter?"

"No, I guess not, as long as you're careful. My friends and I have gotten ourselves into pretty big messes when we've been drunk."

"I promise I'll be careful," she said, with a smirk, and Roger cracked open the two beers.

* * *

Some time later, Roger had persuaded Mark to join them in the loft, and they had gotten pretty drunk.

Roger spun Eve around, her flame-red hair flying, as they danced without music (not that they needed it; they were belting out random tunes at the top of their lungs.) Roger suddenly felt himself getting dizzy, and a bit dangerous, and he sat down on the floor.

"You OK?" Eve asked, collapsing down onto the floor next to him.

"Yeah— just feeling really buzzed."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"For me, it's pretty normal, yes."

"You should know…"

"What?"

"I haven't had more than one beer in my entire life."

"Are you going to be OK?"

"I think so... just don't let me out of your sight until I recover."

Roger smiled and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I think I can do that," he said. "Do you need to go lay down?"

"Yes," said Eve wearily, "I think so."

Roger helped Eve up and she staggered slightly. Her head spun and her knees buckled. Roger caught her and carried her into his room. He laid her in his bed and pulled the covers over her body.

"Thank you, Roger," she said. "Normally, I'd walk home, but... I don't really wanna go home... and I like spending time with you, and Mark, too..."

"That's OK," he said, understanding completely at the moment, "you can stay here for the night. I don't think Mark will mind."

Eve looked at Roger. "You two normally seem pretty close."

"Oh, we are, extremely close. But we're having a tough time right now."

"I'm sorry. Is that my fault?"

"No, not at all. Mark's ex left him for our friend, Joanne. And my girlfriend recently passed away."

Eve's expression suddenly softened. "I'm so sorry, Roger."

"She died last year, of a high fever related to her AIDS," said Roger. "She had been off her medication for a while, and it affected her too much. She had also been living on the streets until we found her, and then she died."

Eve suddenly felt like crying. "I'm so sad for you."

"It's been really hard lately, not having her around. But it's getting easier because I'm so close to my friends."

"They're so good to you."

"Yeah, they are. I love them all more than they know, and I appreciate it beyond anything." He stood up and made to leave, but he felt Eve's gentle hand on his.

"Roger?"

Roger turned around. "Yes, Eve?"

"Will you stay with me?"

Roger thought about it for a second, and he was confused. If he stayed with her, to him, he felt he was being unfaithful to Mimi. If he didn't, Eve would be upset and probably leave and go out in the cold.

Roger squeezed his eyes shut. Yet another reminder of Mimi. But Mimi wouldn't want him to be unhappy, even now.

"Yes," he said, nodding, and he climbed into bed next to her, and within a few minutes, both fully clothed, they were asleep.

* * *

Please review to tell me what you thought! Thanks for reading!

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The next morning, Roger woke up first. He looked back at Eve, who looked so peaceful as she slept. He slipped out of her grasp, careful not to wake her. He quietly opened his bedroom door and walked out into the main living area. Collins was sprawled on the couch and it was quiet. For a moment, Roger stood there silently, enjoying it. Then a feeling of restlessness came over him and he went into the kitchen and turned the coffeemaker on.

As he searched for the coffee filters, his eyes fell on his AZT bottle. He picked it up and looked at it for a long moment. There was no question that he had to take it, Mark reminded him every day. He couldn't stop taking it, or he would die a slow, painful death in front of his friends— or without them, he wasn't sure. But, he thought, even if he took it, he would join Mimi and Angel sooner than he liked, as much as he missed them. So he opened the bottle, shook out the proper amount of pills, and popped them into his mouth.

For a moment, he remembered when he'd OD'd on Mark's sleeping pills. That death would have been quicker. But no, he definitely didn't want to do that to his friends. His time would come soon enough; he didn't have to help it along.

Collins roused and yawned. "Good morning, Roger," he said, as he stretched on the couch.

"Good morning, Collins," said Roger. "How do you feel?"

Collins gave him a weird look. "I feel just fine, why?"

"I'm just making sure. We've lost so much already."

A sad look came over Collins' face. Then he rolled his eyes. "Naturally, you're the only one to give me a bad feeling this early in the morning. I've barely even figured out this morning how to open my eyes yet, Roger, come on."

Roger grimaced. "Sorry." He put the bottle back in the cabinet and put the coffee on. "This reminds me, you should take yours, too."

"Thanks," said Collins, and he reached into his coat pocket for his pills. "Hey, I hear you recently met a new girl."

Roger flinched, but Collins didn't see. "Yeah," he said, "I did."

"And her name is...?"

"Eve."

"Ooh, I like it, that's fresh." Collins grinned.

"Shut up. You're gay, aren't you? You're not supposed to say that."

Collins looked at Roger, surprised. "What's got you all uptight?"

"For one thing, and this is major, I'm feeling very disloyal to Mimi."

"Why? What happened?"

"I slept with Eve last night."

Collins raised a surprised brow. "You dog," he said teasingly.

"It's not like that, Collins. I basically just stayed with her until she fell asleep. She was pretty wasted— I mean, for her— and she was lonely and sad. She didn't want to be alone, and I didn't want her to be, either."

"I understand that. She really is something?" Collins asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, she is special," Roger told him, not meeting his gaze.

"I'm glad she's helping you."

"She has been, yes, and I'm glad for it. You guys have been great, too, you know."

Collins smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Roger turned around as he heard a door open. Mark had arisen. "Morning, Roger," he said. "Did you take your AZT?"

"Yes. Thanks," said Roger. "Where are Mo and Jo?"

"I have no idea. They haven't showed up in nearly two days."

They heard a door open again, and Roger knew that it was Eve that had woken up this time. She walked past Mark, barely awake, and she immediately went over and leaned her head on Roger's shoulder.

"Morning, guys," she said.

"Morning, Eve," they replied.

"Who are you?" she asked Collins.

"I'm Tom Collins. You can call me Collins."

"OK. It's nice to meet you."

"So how long have you and Roger been going out?" Collins inquired, "if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not yet two months," Eve answered.

"What do you do for a job?"

"I'm a photojournalist for the _New York Times_."

"Wow, that's really neat, Eve. Congratulations."

"Thanks. Roger," she added, "is it OK if I just grab something to eat and then go?"

"Sure, go ahead," said Roger lightly. "I'll go with you."

"That would be nice. Thanks." Eve went over and started to make herself breakfast. Soon enough, she was done eating and ready to go. Roger looked down at her.

"You're ready so soon?" he asked.

"Well, I have nothing with me, so yeah." Eve smiled.

"OK, well, let's go, then. Guys, I'll be back later."

With that, Roger took Eve's hand and they disappeared.

* * *

Along the way downstairs to Eve's apartment, Roger kept thinking about Mimi, and what Mark had said the previous day. He didn't realize he hadn't said anything at all to her for a full three minutes, until Eve nudged him.

"Hello, Roger, anyone in there?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

Roger shook himself into reality. "Oh. Yeah. I'm sorry, Eve." He smiled down at her. "I'm just kinda—"

"Out of it," she guessed.

"Pretty much; I'm sorry I'm neglecting you."

"It's not a problem."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What?"

"How come you're so forgiving all the time?"

"Well, what was it you said your friend Angel said at one point? 'Forget regret or life is yours to miss'?"

"Yeah," said Roger, smiling, "Angel did say that. You're following that, I take it?"

"Sure, why not?"

Roger smiled. He was really starting to like Eve. Thoughts of disloyalty were starting to make their way out of his head and into the open air, freeing his confused mind. Mimi wouldn't want him to dwell on her death. She had loved him, sure, but she was gone now. And she wouldn't want him to be unhappy in the least. Eve was helping him out, so was there any reason to hesitate?

_Why am I so uncertain lately? _Roger thought to himself. _Am I doing the right thing?_

_You're being yourself, _he heard his subconscious say, as though it were Mimi. _You're making yourself happy again. There's no problem with that._

_All right, _Roger thought, _then I won't think of it as one. Thank you, Mimi._

Roger walked Eve to her flat and stood on the front step with her. She stared deep into his green eyes with her own; she couldn't help it. All she wanted to do was stare into those magnificent green globes... and next thing Roger knew, she'd stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. He deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around Eve, his hands roaming over her back and in her hair. Then they broke apart.

Eve was looking rather stunned. "Wow," she said. "That was—"

"Amazing?" Roger suggested, smiling. "Is that a good note to end this walk on?"

"Absolutely," said Eve. "Thank you very much."

"Anytime, hon; are you coming over tomorrow?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Of course."

"Then I will. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Eve." Roger watched Eve go inside her flat and when the door closed, he walked back up to the loft. When he got in, the thrill of Eve's kiss had died down a bit, leaving him with an immense feeling of exhaustion. He went to his bedroom and collapsed onto his bed, still smelling the scent of her body on his pillows and in the sheets, and he slept for the rest of the day.

* * *

The next time Roger woke up, it was late evening, and Mark was shaking him.

"Hey, rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Mark said. Roger opened his eyes and sat up groggily. "How are you doing, Roger? Was your walk with Eve nice?"

"It was great," Roger said breathlessly, "especially the end."

"Oh, what happened at the end?"

"We kissed."

Mark smiled. "Take your AZT before you pass out again."

Mark tossed the bottle at Roger's hands and he obediently took his designated dosage before falling back asleep again.

_In his dream, he saw both Mimi and Eve's beautiful faces swimming in front of his eyes. Then he saw Mimi beside him, asleep in their bed. She looked so peaceful, as if dreams were the only time she could escape the hell of her life. Then Roger saw Eve on the floor, sacked out in a trundle bed on the floor beside their bed. She was also asleep._

_Mimi stirred and awoke. She rolled over and propped herself up onto her elbow. Staring at Roger with her chocolate brown eyes that drove him so crazy so much, she said, "So, who will it be, Roger, me or Eve?"_

Roger jerked out of the dream and woke up in a cold sweat.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

The next morning, Roger could barely roll out of bed. He surfaced to consciousness enough to take his AZT, like Mark had told him to, but he didn't really want to move. That nightmare about Mimi and Eve together with him had brought back his insecurities and disloyalty fresh as ever, and he didn't know what to do about it.

"Roger," Mark said, coming into Roger's room, "you might want to get dressed. Eve's here."

"Go away," Roger mumbled into his pillow, and he rolled back over to go back to sleep.

"OK... but she really wants to see you… You're not feeling sick again, are you?"

"No... yes. Yes, yes, I am," Roger said, changing his mind, in case Mark would leave him alone if he said yes.

"All right, I'll tell her so." Mark left the room, shutting the door behind himself. He went out into the main living area, where Eve was sitting, and said, "I'm sorry, Eve, but Roger's feeling sick again. He can't see you today."

Eve looked slightly hurt this time, though normally, she took these things pretty well. "Do you know why he's getting sick so much lately?" she asked.

"Well... Although I doubt it, it could be a complication."

Eve raised her eyebrows. "A complication?" She stood up. "What's wrong with him?"

Mark closed his eyes in frustration. Roger was going to kill him. Roger didn't want Eve to know until he was ready, but now Mark had gone too far. He was in too deep.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," Mark said hesitantly, trying to brush it off. But Eve wouldn't let it go.

"Mark, tell me. You're Roger's best friend. He can trust you to tell me only what he would want me to know. I can tell he's hiding something from me. At this point, only you can tell me."

Mark sighed and sat down next to her. "Eve," he said, "there's no other way to tell you this, except to come right out with it. Roger has HIV."

It only took a few seconds for that to sink into Eve. Tears started to well up in her eyes and they spilled over. "Oh, my God," she stammered. "How come he never told me?"

"Well, he likes you a lot. And it's not something he's proud of, having HIV. He's scared of dying. It's inevitable, you know?"

Eve nodded. "So what else has he not told me?"

"How much about his past has he told you?" Mark asked.

"Not much."

"He probably will when he's ready," said Mark.

"Mark, I want to know," said Eve. "I won't judge Roger in any way, no matter what you tell me."

"I know, kiddo," said Mark. "Well, April was his first real girlfriend. But she was a druggie and hooked on heroin. After he fell in love with her, she hooked him on heroin, too, and then she found out she had HIV and she killed herself."

Eve didn't say anything. She was too stunned.

"I know; it was really rough for a while. He needed a lot of help after that, especially because he was using a lot. But his friends and I managed to get him to go off the heroin, and he had been clean for a year when he met Mimi."

"I'm glad," said Eve. "What else? Roger told me about Mimi a couple days ago."

"Well, after that and Angel's death, Roger sank into a depression. Then, a few weeks before he met you, he OD'd on sleeping pills."

Eve's mouth fell open. "Oh my God," she said, "he did?"

"Yep, and he ended up in a hospital. Roger hates hospitals with a vengeance. If we hadn't been there with him, he probably would have thrown a fit and started ripping the IVs out and stuff."

Eve's eyebrows rose. "That is drastic," she said. "But he's better now?"

"Yeah, ever since he met you. You've changed him, Eve, even if you don't know it yet. Without you, he's just the same old Roger, an ex-junkie who's lost in his world of music and disease."

"And do you have...?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, I don't. Collins, Roger, Angel, and Mimi. The rest of us are negative: me, Benny, Mo, and Jo."

Eve nodded. "OK. Thanks, Mark, I'm glad I know now. I wish Roger would have been the one to tell me, though," she added sadly.

"I'm sure he feels the same way, but he's just having some difficulty coping with liking you, since Mimi's gone, you know? But he'll get past it if you and I both help him."

Eve smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure he will. So you and he are doing okay?"

"For the most part, I think we are. I'll talk to him. Hey, I was wondering," Mark began, "since you're a photographer, would you like to join me sometime when I go filming somewhere?"

Eve grinned. "That would be great," she said. "Just say when."

"Is today all right? You're gonna hang around here all day, right?"

"I plan to, yes. That sounds good. Before we go, though, I should probably check on Roger."

Mark shook his head. "I'm sure he'll be fine," said Mark. "He gets like this a lot."

Eve nodded uncertainly. "OK, if you say so."

Mark smiled. He quickly and quietly went to Roger's room and one glance told him that Roger was fast asleep again. Mark looked back at Eve and nodded. She grinned and followed him out of the loft.

* * *

"So where do you want to go?" Mark asked, once they were outside.

"Anywhere you want, Mark," she said.

"What about Tompkins Square? It's not far from here, within walking distance. That's a great place to film and take pictures, it's a neat park. You do have your camera this time, right?"

"Yep," said Eve, holding it up. "I'm ready when you are."

Mark nodded and they began to walk down the street together. They arrived at the park and Eve immediately started taking pictures of the trees and the pond, which was partially melted in the warmer-than-usual March weather. Eve took pictures of families that were there, their kids running around, or them having picnics. She was in her element. To her, it felt surreal, and she wished she could stay there forever.

"Hey, Mark," she said, wanting to make him slightly uncomfortable, "can I take pictures of you?"

As she expected, Mark's eyebrows rose, and she laughed inwardly. "Um, sure," he said hesitantly. "Where do you want me, Eve?"

"How about you sit on that bench there?" Eve suggested. Going to the pack she had brought, she took out her tripod and assembled it.

"OK. Do you really want me sitting, though? That's so... boring."

Eve grinned and then she laughed. "All right, you do what you want. Just make it look good."

Mark smirked and then he lay across the bench playfully. Eve grinned again. He looked pretty sexy. "Smile," said Eve, and she snapped a shot of him. "OK, now up on one elbow." He did so and she took another picture. Then she got an idea. "Will you take a few of me now?"

"Sure," said Mark. "Is it ready to go? It's a digital, right?"

"Yep, just press the button and it should work."

Eve went over to the bench and she laid on it, putting her head on her crossed arms. Mark snapped a picture. Then she laid on her back, with her hands behind her head, and Mark took another picture.

"OK, last picture," said Mark, "and then we'll take some of both of us. Try messing up your hair and holding it in your hands. That should look great."

Eve smirked and did as he asked, and the camera snapped the photo. Then Mark put the tripod away and sat next to her.

"So tell me what brought you to the city, Eve," Mark said.

"Well… it's complicated," she said hesitantly.

"It is?"

"Yes… I used to live in Philadelphia. But I moved out after I graduated, in order to pursue a career in photography. It's my element, practically my essence."

Mark smiled. "It's so good to have a passion."

"Mine's more like an obsession. I knew East Village had some good places to take pictures, so I came here. And, well... I'm actually kind of running from my past."

Mark's eyebrows rose, though he was concerned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I have a history in Philadelphia— not a criminal history or anything, but nothing good— and I wanted to get away from it and start fresh."

"Do you mind if I ask what you mean?"

"I was raped in Philly when I was 15. I had a kid when I was 16 from the bastard. But it's mostly my fault. I was at a party I shouldn't have been at, I was drunk... and, well, you can guess the rest."

Mark put his arms around Eve in a hug. "I'm sorry, Eve," he said, shocked. "Did you know your attacker?"

"Worse. I worked with him."

Mark closed his eyes. "Did he ever get convicted?"

"No. He committed suicide six months after that. He knew about it, too; I think that's why he did it. He could tell, after a while, that he'd gotten me pregnant. I had to buy all new clothes for myself. I lost all my friends.

"The day I went into labor, I told my parents that I was going to go volunteer at the hospital, when I really was... well, anyway, I gave my baby up for adoption at birth, a little girl named Dakota Madeline Simmons. She's all I thought about until I moved here. She'd be almost three now." Tears formed in Eve's eyes and she sobbed in Mark's gentle grasp.

Mark held Eve tighter. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"Why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, but still. You're OK now, though?"

"Oh yes. Being in East Village, a new place full of creation and new people, and being with you guys, has helped me a lot. I appreciate it more than you know. That's also why I told Roger I've never had more than one drink in my entire life— because that's what got me into trouble. And I can't exactly hold my liquor, anyway."

Mark smiled. "So what's the reason _you _came to the city, Mark?" Eve asked him, not attempting to release herself from his embrace at all. It felt good to be wanted and loved, even if it was with someone other than Roger.

"I grew up in Scarsdale, and I came here hoping to make a movie. As you can see, it did happen. I was lucky. This show called _Buzzline _bought all my footage of a protest Maureen held last year, which turned into a riot that landed several people behind bars for a few hours. But it was just what our stupid landlord, Benny, wanted. You haven't met him."

Eve smirked. "Sounds like fun."

"Well, it paid the bills, anyway, and none of _us_ were arrested. Weird, isn't it? Other than that, there's nothing much else interesting about me. What do you say we keep experimenting with that camera of yours?"

For a while, they took turns adjusting the camera to different angles and such, just goofing around. Then Mark set the timer again and went over and sat by Eve. After a while, they decided it was time to head back home to review the photos, so they packed up the gear and headed back to the loft.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Eve and Mark walked into the apartment together and found Roger lying on the couch, strumming his guitar.

"Where were you guys?" he asked, sitting up.

"We went to the park to take some photos," said Eve. "We're gonna review them now, if you want to join us."

"Sure," said Roger.

They reviewed the photos for a while, then Eve went downstairs to her flat. As she entered her flat, she realized she liked spending time with them much more than being by herself. She went over to her desk, as she noticed a journal of some sort on it. Opening it, she went back over to her bed and sat down. She was amazed at how immature and ridiculous the old content sounded. She hadn't written in the journal since about tenth grade, but tonight seemed like a good night to start again. So she picked up her pen and began to write.

_Things are more different for me than they've ever been. I'm in a relationship with a wonderful man and he has amazing friends. I'm trying not to think about that, at any time, it could all be taken away from me, over at any second. I don't want to be hurt again._

She started when there was a knock at the door. She realized tears had formed in her eyes, and she wiped them away before she went to the door.

"Eve. Eve, are you in there? Open up, babe, please," the voice called out pleadingly. It was Roger.

"Roger, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking up at him. He could tell she had been crying more.

"I came to check on you. Have you been crying?" Roger asked.

"I've just been writing," said Eve.

"Eve, I love you. I can't let you walk out of my life. This is the first time I feel alive since..." he started, until he realized what he was saying.

"Since Mimi?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Yeah, since Mimi," he said, looking down at her.

"Roger, I love you too," she whispered, as she held his arm. He reached out and pulled her toward him. He leaned down and kissed her. He had kissed her before, but this time it was different. It was tender and passionate at the same time.

After they broke apart, Roger asked, "Do you want to go back to the loft? Mark will be there, and Collins, Mo, and Jo might also be hanging around and wondering where you and I are at."

Eve nodded. "All right," she said, "let's go find them and tell them."

Roger held out his hand to her, smiling. She took it, and they walked back up to the loft together.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

The next morning, Roger woke later than usual. He opened his eyes and looked at Eve, who was sleeping soundly next to him. He smiled, feeling very happy and content. His talk with Eve the day before had helped ease his conscience, and he had vowed to himself that he would spend every moment he could to get closer with Eve.

They had stayed up late the night before, talking and fell asleep at Eve's place. He didn't want to leave her and he dreaded returning to the loft.

Roger heard Eve inhale deeply in her sleep, but she didn't wake. He slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her.

He went into the kitchen, looking for the coffee filters. As he put the coffee on, he looked around her apartment. It was small, but cute. She had teddy bears lined up on a small dresser in the living room and her couch had a little pink blanket draped over the back.

As he looked around, he heard Eve emerge from their room.

"Morning, baby," he said, going over to her and hugging her close. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "How do you feel this morning?"

"I'm OK," Eve said, smiling up at him, "how about you? Did you sleep OK?"

"I'm OK, too. I never realized how uncomfortable my bed was." He pulled her close to him. "I love you," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.

"I love you, too, Roger," she said, smiling up at him as she wrapped her arms around him.

Roger smiled as he looked down at her. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asked as the coffee finished brewing.

"Anything for my girl," he smiled, pouring them coffee.

"When are we going up to the loft?" she asked, looking up at him.

"As soon as we finish our coffee and I take my girl out for a real breakfast," he said, smiling over at her as he leaned his elbows on the counter.

"How about we finish our coffee, go to the loft and go to breakfast with everyone? I wanna meet the rest of your friends," she suggested, smiling at him.

"That sounds great, baby." He smiled, leaning over to kiss her.

"Thank you, Roger," she said, smiling at him as they finished their coffee.

* * *

"Hey Mark," Roger said, as he entered the loft with Eve.

"Hey Rog, Eve," he said, looking up at them as he drank his coffee at the metal counter in the kitchen.

"Hi, Mark," said Eve, smiling.

"Hey, Mark," said Roger, "Eve and I are going out for breakfast, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us. We were gonna call Collins, Mo and Jo, too."

"I'd really like that. How does Eve feel about me going? I don't want to make her uncomfortable," he said, looking over at him.

"It was actually Eve's idea. She doesn't want to come between us." Roger smiled. "I was just stupid to keep my feelings from her. I should have learned from Mimi, but I guess it's better late then never, huh?" he said, looking up. He had a sparkle in his green eyes that Mark hadn't seen since Mimi.

"Well, I'm glad everything is OK now," Mark said, smiling up at him.

"So do I, Marky. So, are you coming to breakfast?" Roger smiled, looking down.

"Yeah, I'll call the others," Mark said, as Roger smiled down at Eve again.

"OK, thanks, Mark," Roger said, sitting down on the couch and holding Eve.

"Roger, I love you," she said, looking up into his Kryptonite-green eyes.

"I love you, too, Eve." he whispered, before leaning down to kiss her again.

* * *

"So, this is the famous Eve. Hi, I'm Maureen," Maureen said, holding out her hand for Eve to shake, as she got up from the table to greet them.

"Well, I don't know about famous. Hi, Maureen. Roger and Mark have told me a lot about you." She smiled before they sat down. Roger put his arm around Eve.

"Are you two together, together?" Joanne asked, smiling at them.

"Yeah, you can say that," Roger smiled, looking over at Eve.

"It's nice to see you happy again," Joanne said, as Roger brought Eve closer to him.

"I am happy, Jo." He smiled, before leaning down to kiss Eve's head.

"This deserves a toast," Collins said, smiling at them.

"What doesn't deserve a toast to you?" Maureen teased, as Collins lifted up his coffee cup.

"Don't listen to her, Collins, you toast to whatever you want," Eve laughed, reaching out for her coffee cup.

"Thank you, Eve, at least someone appreciates my sentimentality." He smiled as everyone laughed.

"Would you just toast already?" Mark laughed, holding his coffee cup.

"To Eve, for bringing Roger back to the land of the living," he said, holding his coffee cup up.

"I'll drink to that," Roger said, smiling down at Eve as everyone drank their coffee.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

The day before Valentine's Day, the Bohemians were holding a huge party for Eve and Roger at the Life Café, because they had made it successfully past their one-year anniversary of being together. At about 3am on February 14th, despite the fact that they had asked for the café to be specially kept open for just them, they were kicked out by the manager until the next day, so they crashed at the loft. But everyone besides Eve and Roger was drunk and wired enough that they didn't want to sleep.

"So, Eve," Roger said, pulling her close to him, "did you have fun until we were booted?"

"Yeah, baby, I did," she answered. She noticed he was staring at her. "What's up, Baby?"

"Nothing," he said, blinking several times, as she brought him out of his daze, "just getting lost in you, Baby. You like calling me that, don't you?"

Eve grinned. "Well, I love getting lost in you, too," she said, and she leaned in to kiss him. "And yes, I do like calling you that."

"Well, good, because I like calling you that, too."

"Ugh!" Maureen teased, putting her arms around Joanne. "Get a room!"

Eve laughed. "Well, if you say so..." she said, preparing to pull Roger into his bedroom.

"I was kidding! Kidding!" Maureen squealed, laughing hysterically, as Eve laughed along.

* * *

That evening, everyone met up— not at the Life Café— but at the Cat Scratch Club, and they had a blast singing and dancing and talking. About an hour into the party, toasting Mimi and Angel, everyone was pretty drunk, except Eve, since she knew alcohol didn't agree with her, and Roger, who had vowed to sober up for her.

Roger pulled Eve onto the dance floor and they danced close. Roger wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned her head to his chest, as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.

"Roger," she whispered, "I can feel your heart beating."

Roger smiled and held her tighter. "Long and strong for you, Eve," he said.

"I love you, Roger."

"I love you, too, Eve." He kissed the top of her head, caressing her cheek.

The song ended and they left the dance floor to join their cheering friends, holding hands. Eve was feeling elated and she didn't want to ever let Roger go. She knew he felt the same way; that they were meant to be together.

"Roger," she said, "can we do karaoke here? I want to sing you something."

Roger looked pleasantly surprised, as he pulled her close to him. "Really? That's sweet of you, Eve, darling. What are you going to sing?"

"It's a surprise," she said mischievously, and after she gave his hand a squeeze, she went up to the band and asked them to play a song, but Roger couldn't hear what it was.

Collins staggered over to Roger, grinning like a maniac. "What's Baby girl doing?" he asked.

"She's gonna sing something," said Roger.

"Ooh, that's awesome. Did she tell you what?"

"No, she said it's a surprise."

"That's even better."

Roger smiled. "I know. Then I have a surprise for her, too."

"Oh? What?"

"I'm not gonna tell you! You'll know soon enough!"

Collins grinned, figuring he knew what was coming.

Eve went up on stage and took the microphone off of one of the stands. "Ladies and gentlemen, this song, _When You Say Nothing At All_, by Alison Krauss, is dedicated to the love of my life, Roger Davis. I love you, Roger."

"I love you, too, Baby," he called back.

She gave the band their cue to start, and then she opened her mouth to sing. Upon hearing the first notes, Roger couldn't believe he'd never truly heard her sing before. It was a beautiful sound. She had vibrato in just the right places and she hit all the notes perfectly.

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart  
__Without saying a word, you can light up the dark  
__Try as I may, I can never explain  
__What I hear when you don't say a thing_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me  
__It's the truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me  
__The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, if ever I fall  
__You say it best when you say nothing at all_

When she finished, Eve looked straight into Roger's eyes and blew him a kiss. Then he went on stage and took the mike from her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for my girl, Eve," he called out to the crowd, acknowledging her. "The song I'm now going to sing is dedicated to her. It's called _I Melt, _by Rascal Flatts, and goes something like this.

_I melt every time you look at me that way  
__It never fails anytime, anywhere  
__This burn in me is the coolest thing I've ever felt  
__I melt_

"And now I have a surprise for her," said Roger as he finished, and he took off his guitar, set it on the stage, and reached out his hand to have her join him on stage. When she was standing next to him, he pulled her close with one hand and reached into the back pocket of his jeans for something.

"Eve, I got you one of your birthday presents early— because her birthday is on the 16th of February, everybody— so Eve, do you want it early?" He handed her the mike so everyone would hear her answer.

Eve gave Roger a quizzical look, trying to guess what he was up to. "Um..." She bit her lip as she heard the audience and her fellow bohemians cheering for her to say yes. Then she grinned. "OK, yes."

Roger grinned and reached into the back pocket of his jeans for something. Eve's eyes widened as her intuition kicked in and she thought she knew what was coming. Then her guess proved right, as Roger revealed a small box and he opened it. Inside was a small ring with diamond chips, but it was all he could afford.

"Evangeline Kathryn Simmons, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, looking up at her, half-nervous and half-excited.

"Roger, I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Eve said, nodding, and she sank to her knees to join him on the stage. "Yes. Yes." He slipped the ring onto her finger, and by the time they both stood up, she was in his arms and he was kissing her passionately.

After they broke apart, both laughing and crying happily, Eve turned to the crowd and took up the mike. "Well, looks like I'm getting married!" she announced, and the crowd exploded into applause.

"Mark," Maureen yelled over the crowd, "did you know about this?"

"No!" he yelled back, getting the entire thing on film. "This is one secret Roger kept completely and entirely to himself!" Maureen gave Mark a surprised look. "I'm not kidding!" Mark insisted.

"Way to go, Roger!" Collins said, congratulating them as they came offstage.

Roger grinned and he held Eve closer to him. "Thanks, Collins."

"Now we need to celebrate," Collins began, "Roger's return to the music world and the honor of his new fiance, Eve. Champagne all around!"

"Is wine all right?" the bartender asked.

The Bohemians looked at each other and each of them cracked evil grins simultaneously. Eve got the impression she knew what was coming.

"Wine and beer!" they yelled, as the crowd exploded into cheers again around the bride- and groom-to-be.

"To my beautiful bride to be," Roger said, holding up his wine glass. "I love you, Eve, and thank you ever so much for saying yes."

"I love you, too, Roger," she said, staying as close to him as possible, her face beaming. "Thank you for everything. We've come a long way in a year. I went from having nothing to having everything a girl could dream of. Thank you so much. I love you so much," she said, crying as he put his glass down to hold her.

"Don't think you're getting off on this that easy," said Mark. "We're gonna throw you the biggest engagement party and wedding you've ever seen." He laughed gleefully as his camera continued to reel.

"Oh yeah, we really know how much Eve's parents love Roger," said Maureen, smirking. She was joking, of course; neither Eve nor Roger had met each other's parents yet.

"Now all I have to do is call them and tell them how we met and how it all came to this," Eve said, and she laughed again.

"That'll be interesting," said Roger, grinning down at her.

"I know, baby. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if we can visit them this weekend."

"Just in time for your birthday on Saturday," Roger pointed out excitedly.

"I know," she said, grinning. "That's my reason why."

"OK, Baby, whatever you want," he said, hugging her close to him. "I'm here for you always."

"I know, Roger," she said. "I've known that all along."

The Bohemians cheered as Roger and Eve kissed again. Both of them were beaming. They were so happy, practically golden.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"Come on, Baby," Roger said the next day, "or we'll miss the train!"

He went up to the closed bathroom door and knocked. "I'm coming!" Eve called to him from behind it. A few seconds later, she burst out the door and blew past him, her red hair somehow tamed into a ponytail. Roger took a second to stop and inhale the vanilla-and-shea-buttery scent she left behind, and then he followed her. She had her backpack on her shoulders, as usual, with as much stuffed into it as she could, and then she had packed her suitcase as much as possible for the week-long trip.

Roger almost laughed, but they really were running late. "Are you ready now?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, giving him a swift kiss, "I am now."

"All right, then, let's go," said Roger, and he followed her swiftly out of her apartment.

The Bohemians met them at the train station and Eve and Roger gave them all quick hugs.

"Take care while we're gone," Eve said to Mark, as she hugged him.

"Eve," he said sternly, grinning at her, "you're only going to be gone for a week. We'll be fine."

"You know where my key is, right?"

"Yes, I'll go keep your apartment from becoming lonely, stop worrying."

"I'll try," said Eve, "thanks, Mark."

"No problem, hon."

"Come here, Baby girl," said Collins, holding out his huge arms, and he took Eve into a hug. "You take good care of Roger in Philly, OK?"

"Don't worry, Collins, you'll still have your same Roger when we get back."

"Then we plan your wedding, right?" He planted a kiss on her forehead, looking down at her.

"That's right," she said.

The conductor was calling out for all to board the train, so Eve and Roger boarded the train with their carry-on bags. A few minutes later, the Bohemians were left standing together in the steam the train left behind.

"So how much do you think they'll miss us?" Joanne asked, after the train had disappeared around the bend and was gone.

"Who knows?" Maureen asked. "She and Roger seem pretty content together."

"Yeah, all they're gonna do is have fun without us," Mark said, "and we won't ask how. Come on, guys, let's go home."

He turned around and began to leave, his friends close behind.

* * *

Eve and Roger found their seats and got themselves situated.

"Do you want some coffee or something, since we had to leave so quickly this morning?" Roger asked.

"Yes, please," said Eve. "Thank you, Roger."

"Anything for my girl," he said, and he caught the attention of a train attendant. "Two coffees, please."

The attendant brought their coffees and Roger and Eve talked while they drank them. When they were finished, Roger noticed Eve looking rather distant and a little sad. He got up from where he was sitting across from her, and he sat next to her instead. He put his arm around her and she leaned against his chest.

"Are you OK, Baby?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Yeah, I'm all right. Just thinking," she said, looking up at him.

"What are you thinking about, Baby?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about my family. I haven't seen my mom and dad since I was 15. Now I'm 19 on Saturday. What if they ask me weird questions or something?"

"What are you worried about them asking?"

Eve looked up at him. "Roger," she said, "I'm sorry I haven't told you before now, but…"

Then she told him about the last time she was in Philadelphia, exactly the way she had told Mark in Tompkin Square so long ago. By the time she was finished, Roger felt like crying. He was silent, not sure what to say, or if he did say anything at all, if it would comfort her or not.

"I'm so sorry, Baby. But if it bothers you that they don't know, you should probably try to tell them. They're your parents; they won't judge you for it. Besides, you're a grown woman now, on your own and able to make your own decisions."

"I know. Are you sure they won't freak out? I mean, I lied and I hid this from them, and I suddenly show up on their doorstep three years later, with a past that I'm running from and the most perfect fiancé in the world?"

Roger looked down at her and smiled. "Are you insecure about being with me? If you say yes, I won't be offended; I'll just ask what I can do to help change that."

"I don't think I'm insecure about you, not at all… I'm just scared to tell them about my incident."

"I'll help you along, baby, don't worry," he said, hugging her close. "Thank you for telling me."

"So you're not mad that I kept that from you for so long?"

"Not at all; you had to become comfortable with telling me on your own time. I mean, that's what it was like with me about Mimi and April and my HIV, remember?"

"I know," she said, smiling. "Is it OK with you if I sleep for a while?"

"Sure, love," he said, snuggling close to her, "as long as I can join you."

Eve smiled as he kissed her. "Yes, you can join me, love. I'm sure the conductor or one of the attendants will get us when it's our stop."

Roger nodded and smiled as she leaned against them. And within a few minutes, they were asleep.

* * *

"Sir," said a voice, waking Roger up a few hours later. "Sir, this is your stop."

Roger woke up and shook Eve lightly. "Eve, Baby, wake up. This is us."

"Mm, OK," she said sleepily, "I'm up, I'm up."

The attendant left, seeing that they were getting ready to get off. Eve and Roger got their bags and got off the train.

"There they are, Roger," Eve said, pointing to a couple. "That's my mom and dad." Eve ran up to them, feeling rather cliché, but she didn't care. She hugged them tightly all the same.

"Hi, Mom, Dad," she said. "I'm home, finally."

"Hi, sweetie," said Eve's mom.

"We're so glad to have you home at last," Eve's father said. "We've missed you terribly, honey."

"I know you have, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to write or anything. I've just been trying so hard to get my life together."

Eve's father nodded. "We know. And who is this?" he added to Roger.

"Well," Eve began, "it's a long story. This is my fiancé, Roger Davis. He's from East Village, Scarsdale originally. Roger, this is my dad, Dylan, and my mom, Piper."

"It's very nice to meet you both," said Roger, as he shook their hands.

"Fiancé?" Mrs. Simmons asked Eve.

"Yes. We've been dating for a year now, and he asked me to marry him a couple days ago."

Eve's parents were ecstatic. "That's great, Eve," said Mrs. Simmons. "Congratulations. We're so happy for you."

"So am I, Mom," said Eve. "We haven't set a date yet."

"And we have your birthday to celebrate this weekend, too!" Mrs. Simmons said excitedly.

Eve laughed. "Ah, yes, my birthday… well, don't you think my wedding is a little more important?"

"Of course," said Mrs. Simmons, "but we can celebrate doubly. Is that OK with you, honey?"

"Yes, Mom, it's perfectly fine with me," said Eve. "But first, I think I need to explain to you both how Roger and I met. We can do that at home, though."

"Sure," said Mrs. Simmons, "sure, we can. Come on, you two."

Eve cast a glance at Roger and he squeezed her hand before they followed Eve's parents to the car.

* * *

An hour or so later, Eve and Roger had unpacked and everything was situated for the five-day-long stay. They sat on the couch together, with Mr. and Mrs. Simmons across from them, and Eve took a deep breath.

"Well, Mom, Dad," she began, "it's time you knew how Roger and I met. I literally crashed into him at the supermarket. I know, typical, huh?" she added, laughing, as she saw the smiles on her parents' faces. "I ended up paying for some of his groceries that I ruined by running into him, and that brought me to the loft where he lived with his roommate, Mark Cohen. They also occasionally share the apartment with their friends, Tom Collins, Maureen Johnson, and Joanne Jefferson. His ex-girlfriend, Mimi Marquez, also used to live there, as well as Angel Dumott Schunard, but unfortunately, both of them passed away a few years ago from complications from AIDS and drug addictions."

Eve took a moment to regain her composure, because she had started crying. She could feel Roger was tensing up slightly about her talking to her parents about this, but she snuggled herself closer to him and he relaxed.

"So, anyway, since I had my own place down the street from them, I visited often, and Roger and I began dating about a week or so after we met. On our one-year anniversary of being together, he asked me to marry him onstage after he sang me a song. It was so romantic, Mom, Dad, you should have seen it," she gushed.

"She did the same for me," said Roger, smiling down at Eve.

"But you still haven't told us something," said Mrs. Simmons.

"What?"

"Why did you leave Philadelphia for New York City in the first place, Eve?"

Eve bit her lip nervously. This was the moment she would come to truths with her past and her parents, after all this time.

_Oh, please let them be accepting of me and what I say_, she thought nervously, and then she took another deep breath and began to speak.

"I left Philadelphia for New York City— East Village, actually— because I was running from my past. You see, I never told the both of you that a co-worker of mine raped me four years ago. He got me pregnant and then he committed suicide, so he was never tried and I gave birth to a daughter when I was 16. I hid the entire pregnancy from you, even the birth, and I gave her up for adoption only hours after she was born, as a closed adoption, so that you wouldn't find out and so that I'd never have to see her again, even though it killed me to do that."

"I remember you told us that… that you were going to volunteer at the hospital here," Mrs. Simmons stammered, tears brimming in her eyes and falling down her face. "You really weren't?"

"No, I wasn't. The day I went to the hospital to 'volunteer', I was actually in labor." Eve looked straight into her parents' shocked eyes. "I'm so sorry I have kept this from you for so long, but I was afraid you'd be mad and throw me out or something."

"Oh, sweetie," Mrs. Simmons said slowly, coming over to give Eve a hug, "we wouldn't have done anything of the sort. You should have told us. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that without our help."

"I know," said Eve, wiping her eyes. "I was lucky the guy didn't have AIDS or something, though. I wanted to tell you everything, I really did… but I didn't know how to tell you, or how you'd react, so I waited until I was really ready, which was now. Thank you so much for listening now, when I really needed you to."

Eve looked to the side and saw tears were running down Roger's face. She smiled and leaned against him to comfort them both.

"And so that brings us to the present day, in which Roger and I are going to get married. Like I said, we don't know when yet, but I hope it's soon, and it would be nice to have it in the fall, maybe September. You can throw us all the parties and stuff you want, Mom, but really, all Roger and I want is to be together and we will be perfectly content with that."

"And we will, don't you worry," said Mrs. Simmons. "It will be small, if you like; just a few close friends or just the four of us, maybe?"

"The four of us would be perfect, Mom," Eve said, smiling, "especially since the Bohemians back in East Village will be holding multiple parties for us as it is when we get home."

"Roger," said Mr. Simmons, "can I see you in the kitchen for a minute?"

"Yes, sir," said Roger, caressing Eve's cheek before standing up and following the older man out of the room.

Mr. Simmons turned to face Roger and he looked halfway between astonished and ecstatic. "Thank you for being there for Eve," he said. "She needs you, I can see that, and I'm so glad that you're always there for her. Whatever you two want, we'll give it to you. Just say it and it's yours," he said, hugging Roger.

"Thank you, Mr. Simmons," said Roger, "but I have everything I need, sir. A roof over my head, food when I want it, music in my soul and life, and Eve; that's all I've ever wanted," he said, wiping his eyes. "Since Eve mentioned the guy who raped her may have had AIDS, I think you and your wife have the right to know that I have it; but I will do everything in my power to protect Eve from it and make sure she does not get it.

"A few years before I met Eve, my ex-girlfriend, April, was a junkie and she got me hooked on heroin. But after April died, and before I met Mimi, my friends back home helped me get clean, and I've been clean for almost four years now. After Mimi died, I had a little trouble with grieving, and it sounds complicated, but it's really not, and again, Eve has changed me for the better."

Mr. Simmons looked rather surprised at Roger's saying he had AIDS, but he didn't judge him for being honest. Roger smiled gratefully.

"Are you two boys OK in here?" Eve asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Yes, we're fine, Eve," said Mr. Simmons, "just bonding a little."

"Have you picked out a wedding song yet?" Mrs. Simmons asked.

"No, not yet," said Eve, "but I have an idea of which one I'd like. It's the one I sang to Roger before he sang to me and proposed. It's called _When You Say Nothing At All_, by Alison Krauss, and it's one of the most beautiful songs in the world."

"Anything for you, Baby girl," said Mr. and Mrs. Simmons together, smiling at their daughter.

"Hey, you sound like Collins back home," said Eve, and she smiled. Right now, she was perfectly content with whom she was, and life in general was good.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"Roger, I am not wearing that frilly thing my mother calls a wedding dress!" Eve said, yelling at Roger as she came out of the bedroom a week later, once they had returned from Philadelphia.

"But Baby, it's identical to the one your mom wore 25 years ago for her wedding, and it would be special if you did the same," he said, looking down at her.

"And old. If I had my way, Roger, I wouldn't be wearing a dress at all," Eve said irritably. When she saw the way Roger grinned evilly at what she had just said, she smacked him playfully. "I am _not _getting married naked. I just mean that we can do this in sweaters and jeans, for all I care. You know how much of a tomboy I am."

"For one day for the rest of your life, Eve, it won't kill you to be a girl," said Joanne, as she came into the room, laughing, "as long as you don't kill Roger first. We're going to need him later."

Eve sighed and turned around to look at herself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, yes, she couldn't deny that; but it was also hot and made her itch and it was just generally uncomfortable, which was _not _what she wanted to be on her wedding day.

"And I want _you _to sing our song, Baby. What kind of dresses does my mother suggest for Maureen and Joanne— forest green, which would clash horribly with Maureen's hair.

"And your mom, Roger, she won't wear light blue because she thinks my mother might wear it. I mean, really, we're letting my mother get away with too much here, and I knew this would happen," Eve ranted. "She told me it was our decision!"

"And it is our decision, Baby," said Roger, "but more _your_ decision, really, because I'm just being a man and going along with whatever my lovely bride says. And you know moms; they do this all the time. It's not just yours," he added sternly, looking down at her.

"And we won't have a flower girl or ring bearer, but we can deal without that, and…"

"Are you done?" Roger asked calmly, looking down at her. Behind him, he heard Collins and Mark preparing to take cover, and he grinned.

Eve stopped pacing around and put her hands on her hips. "Yes, I'm done."

"If it's _our _wedding you want, tell her what you want, exactly how you want it, and I'll back you up, Baby," Roger said.

"Why does she listen to you more than me?"

"Because you're her only child and she won't get to do this again, so she wants to make it the best night of your life, which means she's helping too much and overachieving everything. That's what weddings are supposed to be, dear; overachieved and beautiful."

"I know," said Eve, and she sighed again. "I'm sorry you guys have to see this," she added to Mark and Collins, who were preparing to hit the deck.

"So if you don't want that dress," said Mark, "what dress do you want?"

"I don't want a dress at all," said Eve. "Like I said, we can get married in jeans and T-shirts, for all I care."

"That's very Bohemian of you, Baby. I like it. Then that's what we'll do— a casual wedding. I'll talk to your mom and see if we can agree. Besides, I know your dad's on your side." He grinned.

Eve looked up at him. "You do… how?"

"He and I talked when you and I were in Philly, remember? One of the things he said was he'd do anything for us because he was so glad to have you and I together."

"Oh, OK. You enjoy being my Robin Hood, don't you?" she said, looking up at him.

"Yes, Maid Marian, dear," said Roger, pulling her close to him, "that's my job." He stole a glance at Mark and Collins, and the three men laughed. "And you know, Joanne's a lawyer, so she could easily help us elope."

Eve laughed. "Now that would be good," she said.

"Do you want to?" Roger's eyebrows rose.

"No, I want to get married in front of my parents and you guys as witnesses. My parents deserve to see me get married after I ran away on them four years ago, you see. But I don't want a crowd, just us."

"Then you will have just the Bohemians, your parents, my parents, and me," said Roger obediently, smiling down at her. "I love you, Eve, darling, rants and all."

"I love you, too, Roger," she said. "I think I need to lie down, I'm getting a migraine from all this."

"Do you want company?" he asked, flashing her one of his heart-melting grins.

"Yes, please," she said, and she dragged Roger into his bedroom by the collar of his shirt.

"I hate it when they do that," Mark said, disgusted, "it's like foreplay, but with no actual action." He looked at Collins. "Don't ask and I won't tell."

Collins smiled wisely. He didn't need to be told or ask.

A few minutes later, Maureen came storming into the loft, just as Roger and Eve reappeared.

"Done already?" Collins asked, looking at his watch. "You weren't even in there ten minutes."

"Eve," Maureen said, talking over Collins and rolling her eyes, "do I still have to wear that lime sari your mom calls a dress?"

"No, Mo," said Eve, "you don't. I'm going to talk to her today. We're all doing a very casual wedding in jeans and nice shirts. Polo shirts for the guys, I would hope, and whatever nice shirts we women can find."

Maureen's face lit up and she grinned. "Well, great, that's just awesome. June 6th is the date, right?"

"Yes. Mark," Eve added to him, standing beside Roger, "I hope you didn't get that entire meltdown on film."

"No, I didn't. I don't film your fights. It always ends the same; with you getting a migraine and the two of you disappearing into the bedroom to talk. You might want to get those migraines checked out, though, if you get them too frequently."

Eve laughed. Mark had a point. "OK, I will."

"Or maybe it's Roger that's giving you all these headaches." Mark ducked, grinning, as Eve aimed a swipe at his head.

"I almost like seeing you two fighting," said Collins. "It means that, when this is all over, you'll really be a successful couple."

Eve grinned. "Thanks, Collins. Come on, everybody, let's go to the Life. I've had enough of this for one day." The Bohemians looked at each other and grinned. "Mark," Eve added, "can you leave your camera home this one night?"

"No," he said, "I won't." Eve gave him a pleading look. "No, I don't want to," he whined, resisting leaving without his beloved camera.

"Oh, come on, you can take a break from the documentary for one night. I want to see you drunk."

"You sure that won't result in Roger hitting me or something?"

Eve laughed and rolled her eyes. That fight had been so long ago… "I'm sure it won't," she said, "because I'll be the sober one. Do you want _me _to film, since I won't let you?"

"Sure, but it's supposed to be your party," said Mark; however, he quickly showed her how to do it. "All right, we can go now."

Eve laughed and they left.

* * *

All right, so I had this posted up, and then I rewrote it some. The wedding will be in the next chapter! Please keep the reviews coming!

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

"Mom, could you please help me with my hair?" Eve asked, on her wedding day, struggling to make it obey. They were inside the church, and everyone— especially Mark with his camera— was waiting for the wedding party to appear outside. Maureen and Joanne thought the idea of walking down the aisle to go outside, instead of the usual way, was crazily unique and very Bohemian.

"Sure, honey," said Mrs. Simmons, coming over to her daughter and twisting Eve's hair into an elegant knot.

"Thanks, Mom," Eve said, before putting lip gloss on.

"No problem, honey," said Mrs. Simmons. "Are you ready to marry your prince, Sweetie?"

"I'm more than ready, Mom," said Eve, "but I'm nervous. Is it OK to be nervous?"

"Of course it's OK to be nervous. That's a good sign for a healthy marriage in the future."

Eve laughed. "Yeah, Collins said something like that the other day. I mean, I'm not having second thoughts or anything. I love Roger with all my heart, and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else."

Mr. Simmons knocked and walked into the room. "Can I come in?" he said.

"Sure, Dad," said Eve. "We'll blame you for the bad luck." She grinned.

"You look gorgeous, honey." Mr. Simmons came over to hug his daughter, as Mrs. Simmons fixed the tendrils of hair framing her face.

"Thanks, Mom. I feel gorgeous. It's wonderful. How's Roger, Dad? Is he doing OK?"

"He's a nervous wreck, honey, but I told him that's good luck. He's just waiting anxiously for you," Mr. Simmons said, leaning down to kiss his daughter on the cheek.

"I'm nervous, too," she said.

"I know. Don't worry, everything will be fine. It always is when it's you two. You and Roger deserve this. You love each other with everything in your being," he said, looking down at his daughter.

"We'd better get downstairs, Dylan," said Mrs. Simmons to her husband. "Everyone's waiting. You three can follow and we'll begin the wedding."

"Thank you, Mom," said Eve. "I mean it, thank you for everything," she said, getting teary-eyed.

"Don't start crying, honey, you'll mess up your make-up," Mrs. Simmons said fondly, as she caressed her daughter's cheek. Eve smiled.

"Sorry, Mom; I'll see you down there." And she took up her father's arm, and followed behind Maureen and Joanne, down the aisle, and outside.

"I love you, Dad," she said. "Thank you for understanding about Roger and everything. It means so much to me."

"You're my little girl, Eve," said Mr. Simmons. "I love you no matter what. I'm so glad you and Roger are happy together."

"So am I, Dad," said Eve, "so am I."

They walked down the aisle and outside, and Eve went up to where Roger was standing, fidgeting just slightly with nervousness, next to Collins, Mark, and Benny. "Doesn't she look beautiful?" he asked them, tears streaming down his face.

"Yes, she does," they answered.

"Hey," Roger said, when she'd walked up to him, and he caressed her cheek. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him. "Are you OK?"

"Baby, I've never been more OK. You've made my life worth living." Tears were still streaming down his face.

"Hey, save that for the vows," Eve teased. "I'm not allowed to cry until the end, or my mom says I'll ruin my makeup."

Roger laughed and then they went up to the minister and the ceremony began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join the beloved couple, Evangeline and Roger, in holy matrimony," the minister said, smiling at them. As they recited their vows, everyone cried, including Roger and Eve.

"Do you, Roger Adam Davis, take Evangeline Kathryn Simmons to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the minister asked, as Roger smiled.

"Yes, sir, I do," he said excitedly, holding back more tears.

"And do you, Evangeline Kathryn Simmons, take Roger Adam Davis to be your lawfully wedded husband?" he asked, turning to Eve.

"I do," she said, crying. As they placed the rings on each other's fingers, everyone cried, especially the Bohemians. It had been nearly a year and a half since the day Eve and Roger had literally crashed into each other's lives, and now they were getting married. It was absolutely perfect and nothing in the world could change that.

"And so, with the power vested in me, by the state of New York, and all our friends and family here today and God above us…"

"And Angel and Mimi," Mark whispered to Collins, who grinned, still crying.

"… I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, Roger," he said, smiling at them.

"Thank you," Roger said, turning to Eve and smiling, before sweeping her into his arms and kissing her tenderly.

"Go Roger and Eve!" Collins yelled out, as everyone clapped.

Roger and Eve and the wedding party made their way to the Life Café for a toast.

"Can you believe we actually made it?" Eve asked, smiling up at Roger.

"It's been my goal since more than six months ago," he said, stopping to kiss her.

"I love you, Roger," Eve told him, caressing his face.

"I love you, too, Evangeline Kathryn Davis," he replied, kissing her again.

"Eve Davis," she said, sounding awed as she held him tight. "That has a very nice ring to it."

"OK, you two, get in the car. The wedding night doesn't start until tonight," Maureen said, coming up to them and laughing.

"Thanks, Maureen, I could always count on you to ruin the mood," Roger teased, as everyone within earshot laughed.

"Roger, be nice. You are a married man and an adult now, you have to act like it from now on," Mrs. Davis teased, laughing happily, still dabbing her eyes.

"Yes, Mom," he said, laughing as he leaned in to hug her.

"I am so happy for you two," Mrs. Davis whispered into his ear.

"Roger, I am so proud of you, son," Mr. Davis said, hugging his son.

"Thanks, Dad," Roger said, hugging his father back.

"All right, let's let the newlyweds go inside," Mrs. Simmons said, smiling at Eve and Roger, as they arrived at the Life Café, which had been reserved specially for them. Everyone sat down around a table and Collins nudged Mark.

"That's our cue, Marky," he said, holding a champagne glass up and standing next to Mark, who also stood.

"I know. You talk like I don't know how to be around civilized people," Mark said, laughing.

"Well, you're friends with us, and have been for forever… so technically, it's been a while," Collins teased.

"Touché," Mark said, laughing as he held up his glass.

"I'm gonna go first," Collins said, "because Mark is their roommate and has a lot to say, I'm sure, and I don't want to wait." Everyone laughed along with him. "I've known Roger for longer than anyone in here, except maybe his parents, who've lived with him, so they know where I'm coming from," Collins said, looking at Roger's parents, who were laughing. "He's a great guy who literally rocks our Baby girl's world with his music and soul. I've seen his ups and downs, and I can honestly say I've never seen him as good as he has been since he met Eve. I'm sure he's already told you that you make him happier than he's ever been, Eve. Congratulations, you two, I love you two so much," Collins said, smiling as Roger and Eve looked at each other and smiled, before raising their glasses and drinking.

"We love you, too, Collins," Eve said, smiling at him.

"OK, now me!" Mark demanded, grinning, as Collins nodded to him. "Thank you. OK, I've known Roger even longer than Collins, so maybe I should get damage pay." Everyone burst out laughing. "But seriously, I love documenting their lives, which means two things: one, I am not allowed to get drunk with everyone else, because someone has to be sober enough to hold the camera steady. But Eve has volunteered to occasionally take that over in the future, so here's to that." Everyone laughed again.

"And two, I get to see all of the beautiful moments between them. When Roger crashed into Eve that day when he was with me at the supermarket— actually, no, wait, that was Eve's fault in her 'randomly deranged life, where nothing is cliché or typical in any way,' as she puts it— I knew he had immediately fallen for her." Mark waited a moment as everyone laughed at his humor. "She had been running away from something serious, but Roger found her and brought her into his life to take care of her. They took care of each other, really. When Roger was feeling down about Mimi's death, Eve brought him back up. When she was feeling insecure about her past, they talked and Roger was accepting all the way. I watched their love grow. I've been there for pretty much everything, good and bad. I consider Roger and Eve two of the strongest people I know. I love you guys and look forward to documenting more," he said, holding his glass up.

"Thank you, Mark, we love you, too," Eve told him, wiping tears from her face.

"No day but today!" Collins said, as the Bohemians looked at each other and raised their glasses before drinking.

* * *

Review? Thanks for reading.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

The next day, Eve woke up and listened to Roger sleeping next to her. He was snoring softly. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the forehead. He didn't stir, so she left him to his dreams.

She went out into the kitchen and turned the coffee on. She searched for the filters, as she did every morning, and she came across Roger's white bottle of his prescription AZT pills. Eve looked at it long and hard, thinking about what it meant. It was inevitable that he had to take it, twice a day. She knew, if he didn't, complications with his AIDS would arise, and his life would be further endangered. It prolonged his life when he took it, but she knew the disease would take his life eventually, whether he kept up with his meds or not.

Eve sat down at the table and sipped at her coffee while she waited for Roger to wake up. Not too much later, he came out in his boxers, and Eve grinned and choked on her coffee.

"What's so funny?" Roger asked, coming over to kiss her good morning.

"Nothing," Eve said, in an innocent tone that didn't deceive him in the least, smiling up at him. "You just look amazingly sexy this morning; more than usual, I mean."

"Good morning to you, too, and may I add that you do as well," Roger said, kissing her and sitting down.

"How did you sleep?"

"After last night, do you think I couldn't?"

They grinned at each other.

"Say, Eve, I've been meaning to ask you, where do you want to go for our honeymoon?"

Eve was silent for a moment. "I don't know," she said, "I haven't really thought about it. We honestly can't go very far away, with our jobs and stuff, can we?"

"Baby, we'll go to Antarctica if you want," said Roger, squeezing her hand. "We only get to do it once; why not go all out and splurge?"

"Well, since you brought it up... I really would like to visit the Redwoods in California," Eve said thoughtfully. "My parents and I went there when I was 14, and we really enjoyed it. It's really pretty and very quiet. Would you mind that?"

"Baby, that sounds wonderful," said Roger. "It'll be good for us to get away from the village for a couple of weeks. If we like it enough, we can always move there, too."

"Roger! You like the city too much, I know you!" Eve exclaimed, laughing, and then she saw he was joking.

"Eve, I've also been thinking, shouldn't we be considering getting a place of our own?"

Eve looked up at him and he could see that she was generally surprised.

"You're serious?" she asked.

"Quite serious; we can't exactly grow old together in the loft, and once we start thinking about starting a family, your cute little flat here won't be big enough."

Eve smirked. "So you think we'll be having quite a few, then?" she joked. Then she grimaced. "Sorry, Roger, that was completely tactless of me."

"It's OK, Baby," he said. "It's entirely your decision."

"Can... can I think about it for a while?"

"Sure, Baby. Do you want to go out for breakfast and you can think about it?"

"Yes," said Eve, "that would be nice. Take your AZT."

"Thanks. Let's go get ready, then," Roger said, finishing his coffee, giving her a swift kiss, and going to their bedroom.

* * *

About an hour later, they had finished their breakfast together, and Eve and Roger went to the loft. When they arrived, they saw Mark, Collins, Maureen, and Joanne sitting around in the living area, and they sat down to join them.

"Morning, newlyweds," said Joanne.

"What took you two so long to show up?" Maureen asked.

"We had a long night, and then we went to breakfast," said Roger.

The Bohemians grinned evilly to one another. Joanne noticed Eve was rather quiet.

"Eve, honey, are you OK?" Joanne asked. "You're pretty quiet this morning."

"Ah, she's just mulling over what she and Roger did last night," Mark teased, grinning at her and ducking the swipe Roger aimed at him. Eve smiled back modestly. She didn't really know how to say what was really on her mind.

"Baby girl, are you gonna be OK?" Collins asked.

"Yes," said Eve, "just thinking. Thanks, Collins."

"Hey, what do you all say to going to the Life and pulling one of our all-nighters?" Joanne asked.

"But Pookie," Maureen said, "it's only 10 A.M."

"So what? Never too early to start drinking. Roger and Eve deserve another celebration before they go on their honeymoon. You _are _going on one, right?" she added to Eve, who nodded. "That settles things, then."

"Aw, Jo," Eve said. "You don't have to, really..."

"Oh yes, I do," said Joanne, "and I'm gonna film, so you can get Mark drunk."

"No!" Mark exclaimed, but he was grinning. "I am not giving my camera up, no way, no how."

"Just this once, you will," said Joanne, and she snatched up his camera before he could grab it.

"Joanne!" Mark whined. "Give it back right now!"

But Joanne was out the door and in her car, waiting for them, before Mark could stop her.

* * *

Even at the party, after a while, Eve was quiet. Despite the fact that Roger had meant well with what he said about moving out and raising a family, what he had said had bothered her. She wanted to move out with him, too, but she knew Mark would take it very hard, since he and Roger had been roommates for nearly ten years.

And despite the fact that Roger was HIV-positive, she wanted to raise a family with him. But she knew that, if she had sex with him again, besides what they'd done on their special wedding night, she might contract the virus, and she didn't want that at all.

Before she knew it, the party was dying down, it was 5 AM, and she couldn't stay up one minute longer. She told Roger she wanted to go home, so they all went to the loft to sleep and sober up. Maureen and Joanne crashed in Mark's room, Collins sacked out on the couch, and Roger and Eve went to their room.

When Eve woke up, it was 4 in the afternoon, and she went out into the kitchen to get something to eat. She searched the cupboards and failed to find something, so she leaned against the counter and sighed.

"Eve?" a familiar voice said.

"In the kitchen, Collins," she said. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I woke up by myself. I thought that was you. Shouldn't you still be sleeping? You've had a long couple of days."

"I know," she said, "but I think, even if I tried, I couldn't."

"Why, too much on your mind?"

Eve smiled. Collins always read her right, and he always cared. Sometimes it helped a lot that he was gay; even if he had romantic relationships with men, he could also almost always relate to women.

"Way too much," she said.

Collins came into the kitchen and stood in front of Eve. "OK," he said, "hit me."

"Well, Roger and I… we want to move out of the loft and sell my flat, in order to get a place of our own, a bigger place. But I don't know how he's going to break this to Mark."

"Hmm, good point. Roger will probably need to figure that one out on his own, without your help, though."

"But what if they have another fight? You remember last time they had a fight because of me, don't you? It involved Roger choking Mark."

"Baby girl, your marriage to Roger has nothing to do with Mark, as much as he wants to make it so sometimes. He's gonna be upset that you two are moving out, but that's because they are so close and have been roommates for almost ten years. It'll just be a really big adjustment, that's all."

He looked down at her fondly. "Anything else you want to talk to me about?"

Eve looked up at him. "Yes. Roger talked about thinking about starting a family."

Collins looked genuinely surprised. "Did he already?" Eve nodded. "Is that what you want?"

"No. At least, not yet," she answered. "But I don't think that's what's really bothering me, though."

"What is, Baby girl?"

"I think the reason I'm scared to start a family is, if we try it naturally, I could contract HIV, no matter how much protection we use. We can probably get away with it just this once, since it was our wedding night; but if I did, well, I wouldn't know what to do."

Collins looked a little sad. "I'm sorry, Baby girl. I can see why you'd be scared."

Eve hugged Collins, feeling secure in his strong arms. "What am I gonna tell Roger?" she asked.

"Tell him the truth. He loves you, Eve, he'll understand and he won't judge you for your decision. I know him well; I know he'll listen to what you have to say."

Eve nodded. "All right, I'll talk to him when he wakes up. Thank you, Collins, I really needed that."

"Anytime, Baby girl; I'm used to being the mediator between Roger and Mark all the time, I can be yours, too. Are you going back to bed?"

"I don't think so," she said. "I think I'm gonna go to work for a while and get a lot done with my photography, since there's still daylight left, and Roger's sleeping the day away. I'll be back tonight, though."

"OK, I'll let Roger know when he wakes up. Night, Baby girl."

"OK, see you later. Goodnight, Collins."

Collins turned and went back to go crash on the couch, and Eve snuck into the bedroom. As quietly as she could, she got some clean clothes out, dressed, and went out the door.

* * *

That evening, around 9, Eve returned. Roger looked surprised to see her after she'd been gone for most of the afternoon without him.

"Hey, Baby," he said, coming over to her. "How was work? Did you have fun without me for a change?"

"Good, Collins told you." Collins flashed Eve a smile. "It was great, I got a lot done. Luckily, I'm a freestyle photographer, so it doesn't matter how much I get done daily for them, as long as I buckle down and meet my deadlines." She grinned.

Roger smiled and kissed her, pulling her close. "Do you have someone to talk to today?" she asked pointedly.

"Yes," said Roger, knowing perfectly well who she was talking about.

"And you should probably do it before everybody else is drunk again, or you'll forget."

"I know, Baby, you're right. Why don't we take a walk together, just the three of us? We can talk it over then."

Eve smiled. "That would be wonderful, Roger," she said. "Good idea. You can tell Mark."

"OK," said Roger, and he went to go get Mark. Eve heard him ask Mark if he'd like to go for a walk, and Mark said yes. Roger and Mark joined Eve at the door and they walked out of the loft.

"Why don't we go to Tompkins Square again?" Eve asked. "I haven't been there in a while."

"Whatever you say, Baby," said Roger, but Eve could have sworn she saw him glance at Mark as he said that, and she got a flashback of the last time she and Mark were there. But she pushed it to the back of her mind and thought of what they were going to do instead. What had happened at Tompkin Square before was no longer important.

"Besides, we have something we need to talk about, Mark," Eve said, "something important."

"Important?" Mark asked, as they made their way to Tompkin Square.

"Yes, important. Come on, we'll tell you on the way there." Eve took Roger's hand and they began to walk down the street, Mark right behind them.

When they were a few blocks away from Tompkin Square, Mark stopped them and said, "All right, you two aren't going any further until you tell me what's going on. You're not pregnant or anything, are you, Eve?"

Eve was surprised. "No, Mark," she said, "I'm not." She glanced at Roger, warning him to stay cool. "But Roger and I need to tell you—"

"Yeah, I got that already," Mark talked over her. "What do you need to tell me? Come on, the suspense is killing me here. Just tell me."

So Eve did. "We're moving out of the loft and getting a place of our own."

Mark looked a bit shocked. Eve swallowed nervously. She'd known he'd react like this. "You- you are?" Mark stammered. "When, exactly?"

"We're going to start looking for a place in a couple of weeks. Mark," Roger said, coming toward him with his hands held out cautiously, "please let us explain before you go crazy on us, OK? Eve and I were talking about it, and lately, I've been spending a lot of my time at her place anyway. But we're married, so that's OK, and I thought it would be a good idea to ask her if we should move out of the loft, sell her flat, and get a bigger place of our own, especially if we want to start a family someday. She thought it was a great idea."

Roger concentrated on Mark's face, which was looking rather confused, and a little upset.

"Why don't you guys just move her stuff into the loft?" Mark asked.

"Mark, our place would still be near East Village, maybe even in it. Us moving out is nothing personal against you or Collins or any of the others; it's just time we did. We won't be far away, just far enough away to get some alone time when we need it, without all you guys being drunk and high around us all the time."

"Let me remind you that you're one of those 'drunk ones'," Mark snapped, frowning.

"I've decided to sober up for Eve, and it's not been hard to do, either," said Roger, surprised at Mark's remark. "Since alcohol doesn't agree with her when she does drink, she can support me in my sobering up. You'll still see us a lot."

Roger glanced at Eve, who gave him a silent cue to continue speaking. "You know, Mark, it's not like Eve's going to die on me like Mimi and April did. She's healthy and she doesn't have HIV. If either of us is to go first, it's going to be me." Eve elbowed him and he laughed.

"You are evil," she teased, grinning at him.

"I'm kidding, Baby," he added, grinning at her. "So Mark, don't you see? If something happens to me, she will know what to do, because you can teach her. You're the expert, and soon, she will be, too."

Mark nodded stiffly and didn't say anything. Roger sighed and put a hand to his head.

"Man, I thought you'd be happy. It means more room for you and the other Bohemians, if they want to come around more often. You can even start dating again, which would be a _huge_ surprise," Roger said, chuckling and letting out his breath. Mark glared at him.

"Mark, this is a good thing," Eve said. She put a concerned hand on his shoulder and found he was very tense. "Why are you so mad about it?"

"I'm mad because you won't be able to take care of him if he gets sick, Eve," Mark snapped. "That's always been me, always. And now, suddenly, it's like he's abandoning me."

"See, now you're being selfish, Mark. I'm not abandoning you," Roger said pointedly, beginning to lose his patience. Mark began to walk away from Roger and Eve. "Mark, stop," Roger yelled after him, and he followed. "I'm moving on with my life. You should, too." Roger reached out a hand and spun Mark around to face him.

"Roger, you're not gonna be around forever, with your AIDS and everything. So I want to take advantage of that for as long as I can. I don't want you to move out of the loft!" Mark yelled back, yanking himself out of Roger's grasp.

"Mark, I know, but I love Eve and I want to spend even more time with her. With my job in Santa Fe, that's hard enough as it is, even if they can accommodate me from here. You'll always be my best friend. I will never forget our time together, and I will always be grateful for everything you've done for me. But I want to be with Eve. Please, Mark," Roger said, quieter, "don't do this. Be happy for us."

"I am happy for you," said Mark stubbornly.

"Mark, I want you to accept that I choose to measure my life in love, and that love is from Eve. We all deserve happiness. My happiness is with Eve. Collins moved into and out of the loft several times, and you never made such a big deal then as you are now."

"Collins isn't my best friend!"

Roger sighed. "Mark, stop acting like a child. It's not like I'm moving halfway across the country," he said. "I'm just gonna be 15 minutes away. I will still be around a lot," he said, trying to calm things down.

"I know, Roger. I'm just worried."

"What is there to worry about? Eve tells me twice a day to take my AZT," Roger interrupted. "Mark, no matter how much time this disease gives me, even if it's 10 years from now that I kick it, I want to have spent that time with Eve. She deserves as much time with me as you have gotten already, being my roommate for so long. Please, don't you see how happy she makes me?"

"I do see that, Roger, we all do, and I am happy for you. I have nothing against Eve. It's just that I don't want you to move out, OK? Why can't you guys just move into the loft together? That way you can both still be together and happy, and I'll still be there, too."

"With us moving out, you can have your life back, Mark. No more worrying, no more care-taking, just you."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with that," Mark said. "But Roger, everything bad seems to happen to you when I'm not there. Mimi dying, your overdose last year…"

"Paranoid…" Roger said in a sing-song voice, glancing at Eve and smirking at Mark. "I'm not going to stop needing that friendship just because I'm living with Eve."

"I know, Roger," said Mark, "and I'm trying not to overreact…" He saw Roger smirk again and scowled again. "Really, I am, but it's hard… I've become so used to having you all to myself."

"And now you have to share," Eve said sympathetically. "We understand how hard this must be for you; it's hard for us, too."

"You should think about having a beautiful, loving woman like Eve in your life, Mark," Roger suggested, pulling her close to him, "and that will probably make me being gone easier for you."

Mark heaved a deep sigh and squared his shoulders. "Well… if you're happy about this, then I guess I am, too," he agreed finally.

"Thank you, Mark. I'm glad we understand each other," Roger said, smiling down at Mark.

"Great," said Eve, and she started jumping up and down restlessly. "Now that this is resolved, can we please get back to the loft?"

Roger and Mark laughed. Roger put his arm around her. "Yes, Baby," he said, kissing the top of her head, "we can. Come on, Mark."

Mark nodded and smiled at Eve and they went back to the loft.

* * *

Please review, they make me happy.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

A few weeks later, they'd returned from their honeymoon, which had been camping in the Catskills, a completely new thing for Roger. He'd seen a new side to Eve when they were together out there: the outdoorsy Eve, instead of the city-girl Eve. He had gone to Santa Fe for a few days and successfully finished recording his second CD, and he now walked into Eve's flat.

They still had not found a place of their own yet, but they were looking, and Mark hadn't said anything in objection about it since his and Roger's latest resolved argument.

Roger noticed, by the look of Eve's flat, that she had obviously just gotten home. She was never very well-organized, but this mess was unusual, even for her. Her stuff was scattered everywhere. Her camera was sitting on the table, her coat was on the entryway floor, and her shoes were by the door.

"Eve?" he called out, walking into the living room and setting his duffle bag and coat down on the couch. He listened for a moment and heard the sound of water running. Panic flashed through him as he thought about April, whom he hadn't thought about for months. Why did he think of her now, of all times, when he was coming home to his beloved wife with such good news? And why did he think of April's suicide at all anymore, when he was so happy with Eve?

He walked down the hall to the bathroom and found the door locked. "Eve?" he called again, knocking loudly on the door. He didn't hear her answer, so she obviously hadn't heard him. But then he heard something else: it sounded like she was crying.

"Eve," he said, pummeling the door with his fist and jerking the knob back and forth, in hopes it would open. "Baby, please open up. If you can hear me, Baby, open the door. I want to know what's wrong."

Roger waited tensely at the door for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Then something did. Roger heard Eve scream.

"Eve!" he yelled, panicking. He tried the door again, but it was still locked. He didn't know what to do, so he did the first thing he thought of: he backed up a few steps and ran and shouldered the door in. He ripped away the shower curtain, and lifted her, still crying, out of the shower, and collapsed to the floor with her in his arms. She was soaking wet and starting to shiver. Roger stared at her through his Kryptonite-green eyes, very alarmed, and he held her close.

"Eve, Baby," he said, "what's wrong? Talk to me, Eve."

It took Eve several long moments to regain her composure. She didn't care that she was sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor, stark-naked. All she cared about was that she was in the arms of her loving husband, the one who always cared.

"I was j-just thinking about us, and t-that you said you w-wanted to start a family," she sobbed. "I want to, Roger, but how c-can we? You have AIDS and I don't want to c-contract that. But I love m-making love to you, so it would almost be worth it if I d-did. But since w-we have to be careful when we d-do make love at all, I can't give you a child, and this b-bothers me m-more than you k-know."

Roger held Eve close to him, resting his chin on her head, and he rocked her back and forth. "Oh, Baby…" he said soothingly, as she sobbed into his chest. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I w-wanted to," Eve stammered. "I r-really did… But I didn't know how to tell you. I told Collins, though; he knew." She looked up at him through swollen, red, tear-stained eyes. "Are you m-mad?"

"Baby, why would I be?" Roger asked, looking down at her and kissing her forehead. "Collins is a good listener. No, I'm not mad at all. I'm just scared at seeing you like this. Why'd you scream, huh?"

Eve sobbed again and Roger continued rocking her. "Y-you're gonna think I'm being stupid," she said.

Roger looked down at her seriously. "Now, why would I think that?" he asked.

"I screamed because I got soap in my eyes," she said, looking up at him cautiously.

Roger almost laughed, and he found there were tears in his eyes as well. "Oh, Baby... you scared me, you know," he said, kissing her forehead again.

Eve rubbed her sore eyes and sniffled. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been thinking about that so much lately, and the soap… I guess it just set me off."

Roger smiled and sighed with relief, now that he knew what was really bothering her. "You gotta tell me these things, you know, Baby," he said. "You know I'll always listen."

Eve looked up at him. "I know," she said. She looked up at him and he kissed her lips, water, and all, and she laughed. She looked at the damaged door and chuckled. "What are we gonna do about the door?" she asked.

"We'll get it fixed before we move out," Roger said, smiling, "I promise. Eve?"

"Yes, Roger?"

"No matter if we have kids or not, I love you so much. You do know that, right?"

"I know, Roger," she said. "I was being stupid."

"You are _not _stupid, Baby, you are smart and beautiful, and I love you," Roger said firmly.

She sniffled a few more times and then she got up.

"Are you going to be OK now?" Roger asked, looking at her beautiful form with concern.

"Yes, I will be. Thank you." Eve smiled wearily at him, and he left to give her some privacy to get dried off and dressed. He went into their bedroom and collapsed onto the bed and sighed. A few minutes later, he heard Eve come in and she joined him on their bed. He opened his eyes and noticed she was only dressed in her bathrobe.

"Roger, are you OK?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, "I'm fine, Baby, why?"

"Well, you just seem… quieter than usual. What's up?"

"I have some good news."

"Oh?" Eve was intrigued. "What?"

"I finished my second CD in Santa Fe. I'm going on tour for a couple of months, and then I'll be home."

"Wow. Congratulations, I'm happy for you."

"And you know what we could do then, once we've found a place of our own and are settled in?"

"What?"

"We could consider… you know… adopting a child, since like you said, I have AIDS and you don't want to risk contracting it."

Eve's eyes widened. "Oh, Roger!" she said. "Would you really want to do that?"

"Whatever you want to do, I do, Baby," he said. "You know that. Do you want to talk to Joanne and see if we can do that, after we find a place of our own and are settled in?"

"Yes," Eve said, crying again, happily this time. "Yes, I do." She lay down against his strong chest. "Thank you, Roger. That's a wonderful idea."

"You're welcome, Baby. I love you, Eve."

"I love you, too, Roger," Eve said, "more than you know." She kissed him happily and together, they fell asleep.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Two weeks later, in the afternoon, Eve had just come through the front door of her flat, finally home from work for the day, when she heard the phone ring. She ran into the kitchen and answered it, hoping it was Roger. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Evangeline Simmons?"

"Yes, but actually, it's Davis now. Who is this, please?"

"This is Grant Matthews, Kraft Real Estate, calling. You sent in an inquiry to us about selling your flat."

"Yes, I did."

"Well, we found someone who thinks your flat would be perfect for them, and we also found a four-bedroom, one bath house that seems like it would be just right for you."

"Really?" Eve asked excitedly. The realtor chuckled.

"If you want to set up an appointment, I can do that for you right now."

"Yes, please," said Eve.

"OK, how about Tuesday, September 10th?"

"That would be great, Mr. Matthews," said Eve. "Could I call my husband and let him know? He's out of town for the next couple of weeks on business, but I'm sure he would come back early to look at this house."

"That's fine, ma'am. Just call us back and let us know if the date is good for you."

"Thank you, sir," said Eve, "I sure will. Bye."

Eve hung up and pulled out her cell phone and called Roger on his cell. She didn't know where he was on his tour tonight, since she hadn't checked his schedule lately on his website, but he was obviously not performing, because he answered.

"Hey, Baby," he said. "How are you? It's been a while."

"Hi, Rog," she said, "I know, it's been too long. I'm missing you a lot. Where are you tonight?"

"Baltimore, Maryland, actually; I wish I was home with you, though."

"I would have called earlier, but I've just been so busy with work and…"

"And what, Baby? Tell me."

"I have a surprise."

"Oh? What?"

"The realtor called today. He's found someone who will buy my flat."

"That's great. So we'll just stay at the loft until a house comes up. That'll make Mark happy for a while."

Eve laughed. "Well, that's the other part. A house came up for sale, too."

"Really, where?"

"I don't know yet, but we said in our ad that we wanted one in Alphabet City, right, so this one must be?"

"Did you set up a visitation appointment yet?"

"No, I said I'd call you first."

"OK, well, call them back and ask them when the closest appointment could be."

"He said the 10th. Can you make it back in that time?"

"I don't think so, Baby," he said. Eve's face fell. "I know I'm close tonight, but in a couple days I might not be. Can you make the date after I get home? I should be back by the 20th at the latest."

"Sure, I'll ask. But what if this house sells by then?"

"If he can't reschedule us for a later date, then can you do it by yourself? That's all I can ask of you."

"I can try, but I'd rather have you there with me."

"It'll be OK, Baby. You're smart and you know how much we can afford."

"I know, Rog. OK, I'll call him back and say we— I— can do it."

"You'll be fine, Baby. Good luck. I love you."

"I love you, too. Have fun in Baltimore tonight."

"I will. I'm thinking of you."

"I am, too, honey, always."

"Oh, and Eve, I have a surprise for you."

"What, Baby?"

"You're not gonna believe it." There was eagerness in Roger's voice Eve had never heard before. "_Fallen Angel_ went gold."

Eve let out a shriek of happiness. "Oh my God, Roger!" she exclaimed happily. "That's absolutely great! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," said Roger. "I couldn't believe it when my manager first told me. Proof Positive is doing great with their hit songs; _Your Eyes, _dedicated to Mimi, _You're the Gift_, dedicated to all my loyal fans, and my newest one, _Fallen Angel_, dedicated to you."

"Wow, Roger, that's wonderful," Eve said, and she realized she was almost in tears. "You wrote a song for me?"

"Yeah, Baby," said Roger. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes," said Eve. "Yes, I do." She listened as Roger began to sing:

_He's a fallen angel, his wings in tatters  
He's fallen from an old grace of needles and addictions  
As he walks, he talks, but only to himself and the old, familiar voices in his head  
Nobody notices him; they all just walk on by_

_He put up all his hopes and dreams on a glorious note, to have them come crashing down  
In the eyes of a young girl, green eyes of a young girl  
Her face, it glows, it lifts him up high  
Her red hair's a fire keeping his heart alive_

_So he puts on a brave face, feeling the virus take hold, gripping him tight, making him weak  
The darkness surrounds him, closing in  
Then she comes and there's yet another day_

_They walk forward, not knowing where to go, only showing confidence and living on love in the unknown  
They live out each day as though it were their last  
We should all learn to live this way  
Maybe then things could change  
No day but today_

Eve was so choked up with emotion by the end that she could barely speak when Roger finished. "Wow, Roger," she said, "that was amazing. You really wrote that for me?"

"Yes, Baby, I did. Oh," he said, and Eve heard someone call his name on the other line, "I have to go, OK? We're about to go on for our afternoon show. I love you."

"I love you, too, Baby. Thank you so much. Bye."

Eve hung up and held her phone to her face for a moment. If she really imagined hard, it was almost like Roger was there with her, his soft lips against her own, his arms wrapped around her body. And tonight, he was only four hours away.

Eve called Mr. Matthews back after she regained her composure and set up the appointment. "September 10th, it is, Mrs. Davis," said Mr. Matthews. "Thank you and have a great day, and we'll see you soon."

"Thank you, Mr. Matthews," said Eve, and she hung up, her mind buzzing and refusing to shut down, even after she went to bed that night.

* * *

"It's perfect, Roger," she relayed to him Tuesday evening, when she called him after work. "It has four bedrooms, one bathroom, living room, dining room, and even a nice cozy kitchen. I think we should take it."

"And you say it's only a few blocks away from the loft?"

"Yeah, it's down on Avenue A. It actually neighbors Collins and Angel's place!"

Roger was impressed. "That's really great, Eve," he said. "So you told Mr. Matthews we'll take it?"

"Yes, and I set up the mortgage and insurance plans, too."

"That's great, Baby, I'm so proud of you."

Eve smiled. "Thanks. Do you know what this means, Rog?"

"What does it mean, Baby?"

"We're on our way to starting our own life together. Isn't that a great feeling?"

"It is, Baby. I'll call you later, OK?"

"OK. I love you. Bye, Roger."

"I love you, too, Baby. Bye."

Eve hung up, feeling thrilled.

* * *

"OK, so what's the emergency?" Collins asked, coming into the loft a little while later, Maureen and Joanne behind him. Mark was standing by Eve, waiting patiently for her news.

"You guys are not gonna believe this," Eve said, grinning broadly. "Roger's CD, _Fallen Angel_, went gold!"

The Bohemians cheered. "Eve," Joanne said, "that's great. That's really great."

Eve smiled. "I know, isn't it, though? I'm so happy for him, I'm practically gonna bust."

The others grinned. "When is he gonna be home?" Maureen asked.

"The 20th of September," Eve said. "I'll be so glad when he is home, too; our realtor called today. We've found a house that's perfect for us. And guess what, Collins?"

"What, Baby girl?" Collins asked.

"It neighbors yours and Angel's house," she said, grinning at him. "Isn't that great?"

"It is, Baby girl," said Collins, grinning. "I think we should celebrate."

"OK, but can we wait to celebrate when Roger gets home?" Eve asked.

"Sure," said Mark, "as long as you two don't go off and hide and have celebration sex on us."

"Mark!" Eve exclaimed, but then she saw he was kidding. He ducked as Collins aimed a swipe at his head. But Eve laughed nevertheless. Life could only get better.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	16. Chapter 16

Two weeks later, the Bohemians joined Eve in welcoming Roger home. Eve jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and she hugged and kissed him happily, leaning her head against his.

"Oh, Rog," she said, "I sure hope you didn't have any fun on tour, because you are not going back."

Roger laughed and put his arm around her. "Not for a while at least," he said. "Let's go home, OK?"

"Home…" Eve said breathlessly. "It feels so good to say that. We're moving in this weekend, you know."

"I know, Baby," said Roger. "You told me on the phone before I left, remember?"

Eve chuckled. "Oh, yeah, that's right… Aren't you just as excited as I am, though?"

Roger laughed. Eve was practically jumping up and down in his arms. "Yeah, Baby, of course I'm excited," he said.

They joined the Bohemians and Roger hugged each one of them, especially Mark. "Good to have you back," said Mark.

Roger smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad to be back, at least for a while. I'll never get sick of home, no matter where I go, you know."

Mark nodded. "We know."

"To the Life," said Collins, "to celebrate Roger's successful return to the music world, and the beginning of his and Eve's real life together."

Eve smiled appreciatively. "Collins, you spoil us too much," she said, grinning at him. "But I suppose you can when you aren't suspended."

"I know, Baby girl," he said, "I get to spoil you at least until you have kids of your own. Then I can spoil them!"

Eve grinned, looking up at Roger. "What do you think?" she asked.

Roger grimaced, slightly uncomfortable with the topic. "Um… it's up to you, Baby… but just not yet, OK? I just got home."

Eve grinned again. "But isn't that what newlyweds are supposed to do, spend every moment they can in bed?"

"Ah," said Maureen and Mark together, "too much information!"

Eve smiled and pressed herself close to his chest.

-

Six months later, Eve and Roger found themselves sitting in front of Joanne, going over the legal papers so they could adopt a baby.

"Are you guys sure you want this?" Joanne asked. "I mean, it's gonna be a difficult process."

"Yes," said Eve. "We want to start a family, Jo, especially now that Roger's CD is successful and we know money will be OK."

"I know, Eve, and as your friend, I say congratulations; but as your lawyer, I have to say it's going to be very difficult to get a child, especially with your AIDS, Roger."

"I know," said Roger, as Eve held his hand tightly, "but you heard my girl. She's right, you know; if we succeed in getting a child, raising it will be no problem."

"But Roger, you're gone almost four months out of the year straight, touring," said Joanne. "All this child would see of you during that time is a check in the mail."

"But Jo, you're forgetting that I write my songs from right here at home. I only go down to Santa Fe to record and tour."

"OK, but I'm just saying, with you being gone so much, it might not make it a good idea to adopt a child yet… at least not until your music career settles down a little."

"Jo," Eve said, feeling slightly hurt by her friend's words, "this child will be loved by both of us as much as we love each other."

"I know, Eve, and that will be amazing," said Joanne, "and I will also let you know that the rest of us will help out when Roger's not there."

Eve nodded. "That's really sweet of you, Jo, thank you."

Joanne smiled. "OK, well, let's get to the papers, then."

They spent most of the day filling out papers and Joanne called around to all the adoption agencies in the area. Eve and Roger submitted their application to every one, in hopes of getting a better shot at being matched up with a child.

At 5 PM that evening, they were finished. "OK, now it's a waiting game," said Joanne. "When I hear something, I'll call you guys right away, OK?" Joanne said.

"How long does this usually take?" Eve asked.

"It'll take a while, sweetie, but you and Roger have a good chance at getting a child," Joanne said, smiling at Eve.

"Thank you so much, Jo. We really appreciate you doing this for us," Roger said, coming around the desk to hug her.

"It's the least I can do for my two best friends," said Joanne. She looked at Eve, who was biting her lip nervously. "It'll be OK, I promise."

"I know," said Eve. "I'm just nervous. I mean, what if the agencies think we won't make good parents, just because of Roger's HIV?"

"Baby, listen to me," Roger said firmly. "You have wanted this for months now. You are gonna be the best mom in the world, especially if you love this child as much as you love me, and vise versa, OK? Besides, with me by your side, how could we not be good parents?" he said, putting his arms around her.

"Every one of the Bohemians, including myself, submitted a letter of recommendation for you," Joanne added. "You should see them— when the agencies get the letters, you'll be lucky to only get one child. Don't worry, Eve, it'll be fine. I'm your best friend, but I'm also your lawyer—"

"A spanking good one," Roger added.

"— so I'm not gonna let anything bad happen," Joanne finished, smiling up at Roger.

"I know. You're right, Jo. I just worry, you know?" Eve said. "It's kinda my specialty."

"I know, but you don't need to, sweetie, _really_. Everything is gonna be _fine_, you'll see," Joanne said, looking up at Roger.

-

As they walked out to their car, Roger looked down at Eve and asked, "Baby, do you really think I'll make a good dad? I mean, Joanne's right, I am gone a lot."

"Of course I do, Roger. If you love our child like you love me, we are gonna have the luckiest child there ever was, disease or not. The way you take care of me and make me feel like I'm the most important in the world, how could any child get better than you as a dad?" she asked, leaning up to kiss him.

"Well, you are the most important person in the world to me, Eve, and the kid is going to be, too," said Roger, caressing her face.

"I know, Roger," she said.

"What can I do to make you feel better?" Roger asked, as they walked into their house.

"Well…" Eve grinned. "For the time being, anyway…"

Roger smirked, knowing what she was talking about. Eve kissed him passionately, pulling him into their bedroom by the collar of his shirt, and they lay down on the bed together and began to make love. When they were finished, Eve lay there with him, and they fell asleep together.

I don't have much to say, except please don't forget to review. There's more to come. I have several ideas in mind. Now it's just up to me to get them down on paper, organized, typed up, and posted. Thanks for reading.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	17. Chapter 17

Can somebody tell me what viral load means? I don't honestly know, and I'm too lazy to look it up, LOL. I presume a low viral load is good? It does seem a bit obvious. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Eve woke up on her 20th birthday to the smells of bacon, sausage, eggs, and something else she couldn't discern. She opened her eyes and saw Roger come into their room, his back facing her, and Eve noticed he was carrying a tray.

"Roger," she said, "what did you make me?"

"Well, Maureen's making the cake, so I made you breakfast, Baby," he said. "Eggs, sausage, bacon, and your favorite, chocolate chip banana bread, at your service."

Eve smiled. "Did my mom give you the recipe for that?" she asked keenly.

"Yeah, she called this morning while you were still sleeping."

"That's really sweet of both of you. I could get used to this."

"That's OK, I like spoiling you," said Roger, coming over to sit next to her on the bed. They were silent for several minutes, as Eve savored the food. Then something came to her mind.

"Roger," she said, "Joanne never asked if we had a gender preference."

Roger chuckled as he realized she was right. "No, she didn't," he said. "I suppose she knew we didn't care. I mean, you and I both want different genders, so we have to say we don't care, in order to agree on something, right?"

Eve grinned. "Sure," she said. She raised a brow at him. "Maureen's baking a cake?"

Roger nodded. "Yeah, and I hope she doesn't burn Jo's house down in the process."

Eve laughed, but then she covered her mouth. "That would be horrible," she said, "especially after all Jo has done for us."

"Come on," said Roger, after she'd finished eating, "I'm gonna call everybody. You deserve a party."

Eve grinned again. Every one of the Bohemians spoiled her way too much.

-

It was several months before they heard any news about a suitable child. On the 16th of August, Joanne came running into the Life Café, where Eve and Roger were having breakfast.

"Oh my God, there you guys are," she said breathlessly. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Well, you found us," said Roger, stuffing kielbasa sausage into his mouth as he finished the sentence. "What's up?"

"An adoption agency called. They want to meet with you."

Roger choked on his sausage and Eve thumped him on the back. "They did?" he choked, his eyes streaming.

"Yes, about half an hour ago. You two haven't been drinking, have you?"

"Jo, it's 10:30 in the morning, what do you think? Besides, don't you remember that we've both been sober for over a year now?"

Joanne smiled. "Yes, I remember. But I had to ask," she said. "Come on, let's go!"

"What do you think they want?" Eve asked.

"I don't know, but we'd best find out," said Roger. He finished his sausage quickly and he and Eve followed Joanne out.

-

"Hi, Joanne Jefferson, with Roger and Eve Davis, here to see Ms. Klein," Joanne said, in her most lawyer-like voice, to the receptionist.

"One moment, Miss Jefferson," said the secretary, smiling at her.

"Just a few more minutes," said Joanne to Eve and Roger. "Not bad for having waited six months." Eve and Roger could tell she was trying to be optimistic.

"We really appreciate this, Jo," said Eve, "more than you know. Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet," said Joanne, "at least not until it's all over." She smiled at Eve. "But you two are my best friends, you deserve this."

"Miss Jefferson, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, right this way, please," said Ms. Klein, coming out to meet them. Eve and Roger followed nervously, Joanne right behind them.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Klein," Joanne said, shaking her hand.

"So I'm guessing you're wondering why we called in today?" Ms. Klein asked, going over to sit at her desk.

"Yes, we are," said Roger, smiling at Eve.

"A child has come in and we think you would be suitable parents for her. She is four years old and HIV-positive, but her prognosis is excellent and her viral load is low. She recently lost her mother to AIDS, and her father in a drug-related shooting."

Eve glanced nervously at Roger, but he squeezed her hand and she listened intently to what Ms. Klein had to say.

"I know we discussed this and you had some concerns regarding adopting an HIV-positive child, but Roger, I think she really needs you and Eve to love her and care for her."

"Can we meet her?" Eve asked, wiping away the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes.

"Are you sure you two don't want to talk about it first?" Joanne asked, looking at them from behind.

"No, Jo, we're certain," said Roger. "We really want this child. You heard my girl. We want to meet her." He smiled at Ms. Klein.

"We can arrange that," said Ms. Klein. "Can you be here in one week, on the 23rd?"

"That would work just fine," said Eve, knowing Roger would be around.

"OK, when we're finished here, I'll just make a quick phone call and then we'll see you next week," said Ms. Klein.

"What's her name?" Eve asked.

"Angel Camille," said Ms. Klein. "Would you like to see a picture of her?"

"You have one?" Eve asked.

"Yes, I do. Here you go," said Ms. Klein, handing them the photo.

"Oh my gosh, Roger, she's so cute," Eve said. "Look at those big blue eyes! And she has brown ringlets, too!" Eve found there were tears in her eyes again. "She's beautiful, Ms. Klein."

"Could we have the papers drawn up, so they could take her home as soon as possible?" Joanne asked Ms. Klein.

"I think we can arrange temporary custody until the adoption is finalized, yes," said Ms. Klein.

"Thank you so much. Have a good day," said Roger, smiling at her before they left the office.

"Can you believe it? This is our little girl," Eve said, smiling up at him.

"It's hard to believe it's finally happening," said Roger.

"We need to tell the others. I'm sure Maureen is gonna go berserk crazy."

"OK, Baby, anything you want."

"Thank you, Jo," Eve said to Joanne, who caught up with them. "This means so much to us."

"It was my pleasure, Eve," said Joanne. "But I was just your lawyer. You did the rest." She smiled at Eve.

"Come on," said Roger, "we need to stop by the loft to celebrate."

"Rog, are you sure you're OK with her being positive?" Eve asked. "I mean, I know how you feel about that."

"Baby, I'm fine with her, HIV or not," Roger said, kissing the top of Eve's head. "Do I want her to have HIV? No. Do I want to love her and care for her anyway? Yes. Are you OK with it?"

"Yes, I am," said Eve, "same as you. After all, she's our little girl."

"Come on, you guys," Joanne said excitedly, wiping her eyes, "let's go tell the others. You're making me ruin my makeup."

"Sorry, Jo. OK, let's go," said Eve, as they left the building and went to the loft. "So, besides Aunt Maureen, how excited is Uncle Collins gonna be, do you think?"

"Uncle Collins?" Roger asked. "I'm more worried about Aunt Maureen, honestly."

"Oh God, she's gonna be really bad, isn't she, Aunt Joanne?" Eve asked Joanne.

"I'm afraid so, Eve," said Joanne. Eve laughed.

"We're bringing home a little girl," she said in awe, "our little girl, Roger."

"Our Angel," said Roger, and Eve knew he was right.

Please review to tell me what you thought. There's more to come.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	18. Chapter 18

I know it's short, but it's something. The title came to me just before I uploaded, too; I think it's a wonderful title myself, LOL.

"Eve, let's go," Roger said, Thursday evening. "The Bohos are waiting at the loft for us. Plus, Mark has a new girlfriend that he wants us to meet."

Eve looked up, a bit shocked. "Are you serious?" Roger nodded and gave her a hurried look. "OK, I'm coming."

She grabbed her coat on the way out the door and they left.

-

"Hey, guys," Eve said, coming into the loft. "Thanks for coming."

Mark looked up at her. "'Thanks for coming?'" he repeated. "OK, something's up; you've never said that before."

Eve laughed and noticed the woman sitting next to him. "In a minute, Mark," she said. "Everyone else still has to arrive. And who is this?" she asked, turning her attention to the new woman, in hopes of distracting Mark from her announcement.

"This is my girlfriend, Barbara," said Mark. "Barb, this is Eve, Roger's wife."

"It's nice to meet you," Barbara said.

"How did you two meet?" Eve asked.

"About a week ago, he was filming around at the local college, where I teach," said Barbara. "I teach film critique, first year, and that's how we met. He came in to film and came out with a date, I guess."

Eve grinned. "That is so cute," she said. "Congratulations, you two."

"Thanks," said Mark, smiling serenely.

"OK, what's the emergency?" Collins asked, coming into the loft and sitting down, grinning. Maureen and Joanne came in behind him.

"Well, now that everyone is here, we have an announcement to make," Eve said, smiling broadly. She looked at Roger, who squeezed her hand.

"We're getting a little girl," said Roger. He held out the picture to Collins.

"Oh my God, look at this little angel," Collins said. "Look at this huge blue eyes and brown ringlets…" He proceeded to gush all over the picture.

"What's her name?" Maureen asked eagerly.

"Collins already said it," said Eve. "Her name is Angel Camille."

The next time Eve looked up, she saw there was tears in Collins' eyes. "It's perfect," he said, getting emotional. "Sorry, Eve," he added to her, "I don't mean to get all emotional… it's just…"

"She reminds you of your Angel?" Eve asked, looking at him.

Collins nodded, his throat too tight for words. But he was smiling broadly.

"Are you sure you guys want to take on a positive child?" Mark asked.

"Mark," Barbara said, elbowing him.

"What?" He looked at Barbara, confused. "It's a valid question."

"He's right, Barb," Eve said, "it is a valid question. Mark, we wouldn't turn her away just because she's positive. Look at Roger. We're excited. Do we want her to have HIV? No. Are we gonna care for her anyway? Absolutely. Besides, Roger's positive, too, so that'll help a lot. See my point?"

Mark nodded.

"Congratulations, Baby girl," Collins said, standing up and hugging her. "You two are something else."

"Thanks, Collins," Eve said, tears in her eyes. "She needs us. I just can't not be her mother, you know?"

"I know."

"You're gonna be the best mom," Roger said, rubbing her back as Collins released her.

"I'm sure gonna try," she said. "You guys can all pitch in as much as you want, you know."

Maureen and Joanne cheered happily.

"So when do you pick her up?" Joanne asked, breaking her silence.

"Tomorrow evening," Eve said, "but the papers are being filed as we speak, to get custody of her." She smiled up at Roger.

"This calls for a celebration of epic proportions," Maureen said. "To the Life, to celebrate Eve and Roger becoming parents."

Eve grinned. "We're gonna have to lay off this for a while, once we get Angel, you know, Mo," she said.

"I know," said Maureen, "so let's take advantage of it while we can."

Eve nodded and Mark came over to her. "Eve," he said, "I'm sorry if I don't seem happy for you. I really am. It's just, I know how you feel about Roger being positive, so…"

Eve put her hand on Mark's shoulder. "It's OK, Mark," she said, "I understand where you're coming from. But you'll probably do the same in the future, right?"

Mark looked down at her. "Yeah," he said, "I probably will; not for a long time, though. Barb and I just met last week."

Eve laughed. "Come on," she said, "let's go party. But I have work in the morning, so I'd like to be rested enough."

Mark nodded and followed her out of the loft.

-

"Roger, Eve, I'd like you to meet Angel," Ms. Klein said.

"Oh, Roger," Eve said, "she's even more beautiful than the picture. Hi, Angel girl," she said to the little girl, getting down to her level. The little girl leaned up against her.

"Aw, Eve, she likes you," Roger said. He crouched down next to Eve. "Hi, my princess," he said to Angel, who smiled at them, "I'm gonna be your daddy."

"And I'm gonna be your mommy. Your little rock princess," Eve said. "That has a very nice ring to it. It basically just screams 'spoiled'."

Roger grinned and stood up again, as Angel took Eve's hand. "The papers are being finalized, right?" he asked Ms. Klein.

"Yes, they'll be complete in a couple of days. You can take her home tonight if you want. We've already gotten you temporary custody."

"Thank you so much, Ms. Klein," Eve said, as Roger took Angel into his arms. "We appreciate this more than you know."

Ms. Klein smiled. "I'm glad to help," she said. "To see a little girl like that go to a new home makes me happy, too. Bye, Angel," she said, waving to the little girl, who waved back. "Have fun with your mommy and daddy. Her last name will be official in 90 days, Roger."

"What is it?" Roger asked.

"Davis." Ms. Klein smiled again.

"Angel Camille Davis," Eve said, hardly daring to believe it. She looked up at Roger. "It's really happening, Rog. We have our little girl."

"I know, Baby," Roger said, kissing the little girl's cheek.

Don't forget to review.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	19. Chapter 19

Alas, it's really short! Enjoy, anyway, LOL. Thanks to Renthead621 for letting me use her name as Mark's new girlfriend. But she wasn't online while I wrote this, so I couldn't get any smart-ass lines from her, LOL.

"She's such a cutie, Eve," Barbara said, rolling a ball around with Angel on the floor. "And where did you get this outfit? Does it remind you of someone?"

Eve chuckled at the reference to the late Angel; the present Angel was wearing a little Santa jacket and little black boots. "That's a nice thought, Barbara," she said. "It does. It's just like the one Angel wore."

"She is cute," said Roger, coming over to wrap his arms around Eve's waist, "just like her mommy."

"Her mommy," Eve echoed. "I like the sound of that."

"I like the sound of 'daddy', too," said Roger. "She's already saying both. She seems very comfortable with it."

"And Uncle Marky will come soon," said Mark, grinning. The Bohemians laughed.

"Come on, little princess," Roger said, "it's time for you to go night, night." He picked her up off the floor.

"'Night, night', Roger?" Eve asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"What? Isn't that what four-year-olds call it?" Roger asked, holding Angel in his arms.

"No, that's what her silly daddy calls it," Eve said, kissing Angel's hands before she leaned up to kiss Roger.

"Is she gonna be a rock princess?" Collins asked, smiling contently at them.

"With Roger as her dad, do you see any way around it?" Eve teased, grinning, as Roger "flew" Angel into her room like an airplane, making sound effects to go along with it. Angel squealed excitedly.

"Does anyone else find it strange that Roger has a daughter?" Mark asked. "I mean, look at who he used to be."

"You've got a point, Mark," Eve said. "But I think it suits him well; it kinda settles him down and brings out a new side to him."

Mark laughed. "Nice, Eve," he said, "that's exactly what I was thinking."

Roger returned about ten minutes later, smiling happily. Eve came over to him and hugged him. "Did she fall asleep easy?" she asked.

"She started to fuss a bit; she knows she's missing out," Roger said. "Your dad told me you were like that a lot when you were that age, when he'd be up watching NASCAR or something. But then I started singing to her, and she went down fast." He smiled down at Eve.

"Us Boho girls do like it when our guys sing to us," Eve said, smiling up at him. "Where are Mo and Jo? They said they'd be here," she added, when there was a knock on the door. "Mo, what did you do?" she asked, opening it.

"Well, the baby girl needs clothes," she said defensively, and then she smiled. "We had to splurge; that's what aunts do."

"Not you, too, Jo?" Eve whined, giving her a look. "Did you buy out Limited Too Jr.?"

"Yeah, so? We're her aunts, we can do that," said Joanne, as Roger took out some of the clothes to show everybody.

"And look at this that Maureen found," Joanne said excitedly, and she pulled out a little T-shirt that said 'Rock-n-Roll Princess' on it. "Isn't that just perfect?"

"It is, Jo," Roger said, smiling as Eve came over to sit on his lap in the recliner chair. "She is a daddy's girl already."

"I do love my girls," Roger said, smiling as he kissed Eve.

-

Roger and Eve woke with a start when there was a loud crack of thunder, and they heard Angel scream in the next room. Eve took one look at Roger and went to get the little girl. But she was already running down the hall as fast as her little feet could carry her, with her blanket in one hand and teddy bear in the other. Roger picked her up and held her close.

"What's wrong, Baby girl?" he asked. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Loud bang," she said, sucking her thumb as she looked up at the ceiling.

"I know; that's thunder, princess. It makes the rain come down, and then you and I can go splash in puddles tomorrow."

Angel wiped the side of her face. "Water," she said. Roger realized what she was talking about and he groaned.

"Oh man, there's rain coming in her room." He sighed. "Oh well, I'll fix that tomorrow. Do you want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy? Will that make you feel better?"

Angel nodded and Roger and Eve took her into their room. Angel snuggled herself down in between them and was asleep with seconds. Roger kissed Eve over Angel and snuggled down next to her.

"Togetherness," he said to Eve, and the family was soon asleep.

I wanted to include a spin-off part from the thunderstorm scene from the 1968 movie, Yours, Mine, and Ours, but it didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. Check out the movie (Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda) if you don't know what I'm talking about. I think that would have been cute, though, so I'm bummed it didn't get put in as well as it could have. Please review.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	20. Chapter 20

I got the tree-shimmying idea from A Separate Peace; except in that wonderful book, there's no kite involved, LOL. At first, I wanted Mark to do it, but Renthead621 suggested it was a Roger thing to do, not a Mark thing to do, so I relented, LOL. Enjoy.

When Roger woke up the next morning, he looked down at Angel between him and Eve. She was awake and sucking her thumb, and staring straight up at him.

"Morning, princess," he said. "Did you sleep OK with Mommy and Daddy last night?"

Angel nodded. Roger looked out their window and saw clear skies and the sun was shining. "Hey, I have an idea," he whispered to Angel. "Let's let Mommy sleep, and we can go out and jump in the puddles the rain made. How's that sound? Just be quiet, though, OK?"

"Yes," Angel said, and Roger picked her up. As he walked out of the room with her, she snuggled close to him. He smiled as his heart seemed to swell with happiness.

"You're such a good girl. We should eat some breakfast first, though," he said. "How about some Cocoa Puffs?"

"Cocoa Puffs," she mimicked.

"Very good, princess," Roger said, as he poured her a bowl of the cereal, put milk on it, and gave her a spoon. "You're talking so well. There you go; go ahead and eat while Daddy makes himself coffee."

Angel nodded and proceeded to start eating.

-

When Eve woke up, she noticed both Angel and Roger were gone. She looked at the clock. It was 8:30. She went downstairs to the kitchen and noticed they weren't there, either. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the island. Then she heard Angel squealing outside and Roger laughing, and she knew where they were: outside, splashing in the puddles.

A little while later, Roger came back in, with Angel in his arms. Eve looked at the two of them and raised her eyebrows. Roger's shirt was soaked, as were Angel's jeans.

"Wow," she said, "you two are a sight. Did you have fun with Daddy, princess?"

"Yes, yes," she said.

"I think she likes that word," Eve said to Roger, as he came over to kiss her good morning.

"Me, too," said Roger. "Did you sleep OK?"

"Yes, I slept fine," she said, "knowing our baby girl was OK."

"I'm gonna go get this water baby cleaned up," said Roger, and he chased Angel into the bathroom. Eve watched them, smiling contently. Angel was definitely a daddy's girl.

Not too much later, Roger and Angel came back out, his shirt even more soaked. "She's definitely a water baby," he said. "I didn't even bother to change, thank goodness."

Eve smiled. "You both got clean, then?" she asked.

"Yeah, for the most part," said Roger. "She's in there, waiting for Mommy to come braid her hair."

"Does she need even more curls?" Eve asked, laughing as she went into the bathroom. Not too much later, she had Angel's hair done up into two braids.

"Do you want to go see all your crazy aunts and uncles, Angel?" Eve asked.

"Yes," she said.

Eve saw the dreamy look on Roger's face when she said this. "What?" Eve asked, as she took Angel into her room to get her dressed.

"Nothing; just getting lost in my girls," Roger said.

"I can't believe she has the big bad rock star wrapped around her finger," Eve teased, and she went in and got dressed herself, as Angel clung to Roger's hand. "OK, I'm ready. Let's go."

-

"Come on, Ang," Eve begged, as Angel resisted taking her medicine, "you have to take your medicine for Mommy, OK?"

"No," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms and scowling. Eve nearly saw the image of herself when she was that age.

"Baby, do you want me to try?" Roger asked.

"No, it's OK, she'll take it from me," Eve said. "Come on, Angel, please take your medicine."

"No!" Angel refused, louder this time.

"Baby, why don't you let me try?" Roger said, coming over and caressing Eve's head.

"Baby, if you keep doing it, and she doesn't take it from me, what am I gonna do when you're gone on tour, huh?" Eve pointed out.

Roger sighed. "Good point," he said. "OK, keep trying."

"Ang," Eve said, "if you take your medicine, I'm gonna teach you how to fly a kite today. Would you like that?"

"Yes," said Angel, but she still refused to open her mouth for the spoonful of liquid medication. Bribery never worked with her.

"Ugh," Eve groaned, taking a few steps back, "this is not working. Maybe she senses my frustration?"

"Or maybe she can see that you're not smiling," Roger suggested. "I always do. Here," he said, taking the spoon from Eve and carefully positioning it in front of Angel's mouth, "watch. Look, Angel, Daddy has something yummy for you. You want to go fly the kite? Then eat this yummy stuff right up, and we can go fly it." He smiled broadly at her and held up the spoon.

Without further ado, Angel opened her mouth and Roger gave her the medicine. Eve looked up at him sourly.

"That's not fair," she whined, pouting.

"Well, Baby, you just gotta relax. She's a good girl to us, right, princess?" Roger asked Angel, who nodded and smiled as her father kissed her head.

"Did _you _take your medicine, Daddy?" Angel asked.

"Yes, Baby, I did," said Roger. "Eve, I've had a thought. My AZT is pills, right? Maybe pills would be easier for her. They wouldn't taste as bad as this stuff must." Roger cringed.

"OK, we'll get the pills when she's a little older, Rog," said Eve, "but the doctor said they're probably too strong for her at this age. Are you ready to go? The Bohos are waiting at the loft to go to Tompkin Square."

"Yeah, Baby, just let me grab that kite." Roger winked at Eve as Angel squealed excitedly and hopped down from the counter. A moment later, Roger came back with the kite in his hand.

"OK, to the loft we go," he said, and they left.

-

"OK, Angel, here's how you do it," Mark said, a little while later, when they were at Tompkin Square, "watch Uncle Marky." Angel watched with interest as he showed her how to hang onto the plastic string holders. "You hold these with your hands, and put your thumbs where the string comes out. If you want more string, to make the kite go higher, you lift up your thumb, and it'll go higher." He gently lifted her thumb and more string was released. "You pull back like this"— he pulled the holder toward his chest— "to make it turn. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey, remember."

"Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey," Angel repeated. Mark nodded and smiled at Eve, who was watching from a few feet away.

"Do you want to try it by yourself now?" Mark asked.

"Yes," Angel said. She took the holders from Mark and tried flying the kite, with him behind her, in case something would happen. She successfully turned it once or twice, but then the holders slipped over her hands. The kite flew up, taking the holders with it, and Angel screeched and began to cry.

"Uh oh," Mark said quietly, biting his lip. But then he put on a bright smile for Angel, and Eve and Roger grinned at each other. "Come on, Angel, let's go chase it! Come on! See if we can catch it!"

Mark, Roger, and Angel ran down the hill together, as Eve, and the Bohemians watched, and they chased the kite. Mark tried several times to jump and catch the holders, but was unsuccessful, as the wind pitched it higher. A few minutes later, the wind died down, and it came to rest in a tree. It was not a very tall tree, but it was twice Roger's height and beyond reach.

"Hmm," Mark said hesitantly, thinking and meeting Angel's teary gaze.

"Mark, don't you dare let her even think about climbing that tree," Eve called down warningly to him.

"I won't," Mark said, but he didn't get a chance to say anything else. Roger went back several feet, ran up, and shimmied up the tree himself as though it was nothing. Eve stared at Mark; they'd never seen Roger do such a thing.

"Oh my God," Eve yelled, disgusted but entertained, covering her eyes as Barbara burst out laughing. "I am not seeing this!"

He climbed up the tree as far as he could, wrapped his legs around a thick limb, and reached for the kite. His fingers grazed the holders, which had wrapped around a protruding part of the branch, and he fumbled with it, leaning dangerously.

"Roger!" Eve yelled. "Please don't fall on your ass and get yourself killed!" She was afraid he'd fall and break his neck, or worse. She and Barbara raced down to the tree and Barbara picked Angel up, in case Roger would fall.

But the second time Roger tried, he managed to get his hand around it and worked the kite free. A moment later, it was flying below the tree's branches and Angel cheered happily.

"Yay, Daddy!" she said.

"Eve, I'm gonna let it down," Roger called. "Catch it, will you?"

Eve frowned. "I will, but don't get yourself killed," she said again, and Roger let it down. Eve quickly gave it to Barbara, still watching Roger. Barbara backed away from the tree and gave Angel one of the holders, while she held the other. Before Eve could say anything, Roger jumped from the tree with his arms wide, and landed cleanly on his feet. But he took her down to the ground with him, both screaming happily. They lay there for a moment, laughing, and then he kissed her and they stood up. They walked back up to the other Bohemians, holding hands, and Eve smiled and leaned her head on Roger's shoulder, as Angel raced them up to the Bohemians.

"Kite flying and tree shimmying," Joanne said, shaking her head. "What's next?"

Roger grinned evilly. "Anything for my girl," he said.


	21. Chapter 21

I decided to skip about a year of Angel's life, to make this story go faster; otherwise, I feel like I'm dragging out unnecessarily. I hope that goes over OK with readers. I'm trying to stay as chronological as possible, and since I'm writing segments of future chapters separately, it's proving to be difficult, LOL. Enjoy.

OK, I really hate the title. But it's all I could think of, LOL. Someone please give me a new title if they come up with one, because I really don't want to stick with that one, LOL.

"Happy Birthday to you," Eve sang to Angel, as she brought out the cake on April 12th, "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Angel, Happy Birthday to you."

She set the cake down in front of Angel and sat down next to her. "Blow out the candles and make a wish, princess," Eve said. "You're six today."

"Yay, I'm six," said Angel, smiling broadly and clapping, as she blew out the candles. The Bohemians clapped and cheered for her.

"Happy Birthday, Baby girl," Collins said, squeezing Angel's hand. Eve cut her the first piece and she immediately dug in, disregarding her silverware. Roger cleared his throat and looked at her big blue eyes with his own Kryptonite-green ones.

"Princess, use your spoon," he said, after Eve had cut up the piece. Angel looked at him, but obeyed nevertheless.

"She is her daddy's girl," Eve said, smiling at Roger.

"She's getting to be a big daddy's girl," Roger said, picking her up as she finished eating her cake. The Bohemians finished a few minutes later. "Come on, let's get you washed up."

Roger took her into the bathroom and ran some water. Soon, Roger's laughs and Angel's squeals echoed from the bathroom. Eve put saran wrap over the cake and put the dirty plates and silverware in the dishwasher.

"When does she start school, Eve?" Collins asked.

"In a couple months," said Eve. "I'm not so keen on her starting, though."

"What kind of good mother is?" Collins said, smiling at Eve. "But, in all seriousness," he added, leaning on the table, "why not?"

Eve snorted and smiled. "Oh, I don't know… just because she's shy—"

"Hardly," Collins said, pointing to the closed bathroom door. "Have you seen the way she is around her aunts and uncles, especially me and Mark?"

"Yeah, but you're family," said Eve. "And she might have difficulty adjusting to not having us around all the time, especially with her HIV—"

"Every kid has to adjust," said Collins. "It takes them a couple days, and then they realize how fun finger-painting and singing songs and napping can be, and how much trouble they can try to get themselves in."

"But I have to go back to work, and Roger's going on tour in a month."

"Yes, you do, and yes, he does," Collins said, "but that's where we Bohos come in. Really, though, what's new?"

Eve looked at him and she suddenly felt very tired. "Are you gonna come up with a smart-ass retort to everything I say?"

"Maybe," said Collins. "Are you gonna keep worrying?"

Eve opened her mouth, changed her mind, and closed it again. "OK, no," she said. "I'll just stop talking."

Collins grinned. "You don't have to, Baby girl. I'm just suggesting you let things play out as they do."

"I'll sure try," Eve said, smiling at him.

-

A few weeks later, Eve woke up to Roger kissing her on the cheek. "Morning, Baby," he said. "How are you?"

"Mm, I'm good," she said, as he nuzzled her neck. "Where's Angel?"

"Not up yet," Roger answered, caressing her arms and kissing her. "Can we take advantage of that?"

Eve grinned. "Sure," she said, and they began to make love. Roger kissed Eve from her neck all the way down to her belly button and back up again. Eve laughed with pleasure and then they heard Angel calling Roger.

"Aw, man," Roger groaned, laying his head on her chest. For once, he wasn't completely happy to hear their daughter's voice. "Do we have to stop?"

Eve gave him a stern look. "You heard your daughter," she said, and Roger rolled off her and got dressed. "And besides, she has school." Eve lay there for a moment, out of breath, and then she got out of bed and dressed, too. She smiled to herself and went to go get Angel with him.

-

Eve watched from the car as Roger led Angel up to the school and they went in together. It was her first day of kindergarten, and although he had a plane to catch, he couldn't resist doing the daddy thing to do and take his daughter to her first day of school.

Ten minutes later, Eve looked at her watch, and she knew Roger was close to missing his flight. It was 9 A.M. and his flight left at 10:30. They were supposed to be there an hour early, and he was pushing it.

Finally, Roger reappeared and jogged up to the car. "Man," he said, smiling, "that was rough." He looked at her and smiled. "Our little rock 'n roll princess wanted to show me everything. I finally convinced her to let me go, or I would miss my flight."

"So you think our little rock 'n roll princess will be OK?" Eve asked, driving off.

"Definitely," Roger said. "I told you, she wanted to do everything in sight— paint, draw, sing songs— all with me. But I had to leave."

They arrived at JFK Airport and Roger said, "So, if we trade me in for some friends her own age, she'll be just fine."

Eve smiled. "I'm glad it went so smoothly," she said, parking and climbing out of the car. "Let's go, Rog. You're going to miss your flight, and then Jonathan will really be pissed."

"Yeah, he will," Roger agreed, referring to his producer. Eve handed him his luggage, gave him a swift kiss, and waved as he ran off.

"I love you, Roger," she called, and he waved to her without looking back. Eve smiled to herself as he disappeared around a corner, and then she went home.

-

Two months later, Eve and the Bohemians gathered at the loft for a get-together. "What's up, Mark?" Collins asked, looking at him. "You said this was important."

"It is," he said, grinning eagerly. "I've already told Roger, so I'm surprised you don't already know, Eve. He's so bad at keeping secrets most of the time… Barbara's five months pregnant and we're getting married."

"That's great, Mark," Eve said, smiling at him. "I would, you know, celebrate more, but I'm feeling really tired."

"It's OK, Eve," Mark said, smiling understandingly at her. "Are you gonna be OK?"

"I think so," said Eve, nodding. "I just need to go lie down for a while."

"Roger's old room is clean, Eve," Mark said. "Stay there as long as you need. Do you want Jo to give you a ride home later?"

"Yes, please," Eve said, and she went and collapsed onto Roger's old bed, exhausted.

-

A couple days later, Eve still wasn't feeling any better, so she went to the doctor. "Hello, Eve," said the doctor, once he saw her in his office. "I'm Doctor Sheppard." He shut the door behind himself and sat at his desk in front of her. "So you're not feeling so well lately?"

"No, Doctor Sheppard, I haven't," she said. "I've been dizzy and absolutely exhausted for a week now, and I've had a killer migraine going on, too. I'm afraid it's mono, and if it is, I can't stay at my house for a couple of weeks— either that or I have to send my daughter to her godfather's place until I'm better."

"Why?" Doctor Sheppard asked.

"She and my husband are HIV-positive. She's adopted."

"Ah, I see. Well, we're just gonna perform a quick physical on you, just to check out your general health, OK, Eve?" Eve nodded. Doctor Sheppard performed the physical and then looked at her. "Would you mind if I did a quick ultrasound?"

"An ultrasound?" Eve choked, staring at him. "Oh man…" She now knew what was up. "Sure, Doc, go ahead."

A nurse wheeled the sonogram machine into the exam room and Eve lay back on the cold table. "This gel might be a little cold," said Doctor Sheppard.

"A _little _cold?" Eve joked, as he spread it over her stomach. The doctor was silent for a moment, as he ran the tool over her stomach. Then he looked at her. "Well, I see why you're feeling ill," he said. "You're two and a half months pregnant, Eve."

Eve's mouth fell open. "Two and a half months?" she echoed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. That's why you've been dizzy and occasionally throwing up and physically more sensitive. You said you noticed your period was later than usual, too?"

"Well, it was only a week at first," she said, "but that's not unusual for me. When it was later, I thought I should be concerned."

"Well, your intuition was right," said Doctor Sheppard. He could tell she was slightly stressed by this. "I take it this wasn't planned?"

"Not exactly," Eve said. "This is… going to be… quite the shock to him, though."

Doctor Sheppard smiled. "It usually is, unless the husband or wife is a doctor."

Eve sat up. "Like you, you mean?" she asked.

"Yeah," Doctor Sheppard said, laughing, "like me. I could tell my wife was pregnant before she did; she was going nuts, mood-wise."

"Well, thank you, Doctor," said Eve. "Now, at least, I know it's not something contagious. Once this exhaustion passes, then I'm off to the throwing up part, right?"

Doctor Sheppard nodded. "Morning sickness differs for every woman, though. Yours seems to be just dizziness and fatigue, which is good. If you continue throwing up past your first trimester, you should come back in." Doctor Sheppard handed her a piece of paper. "Here's a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I'll see you again in eight weeks."

"Thank you, Doctor Sheppard," Eve said, and she left the clinic.

-

"Daddy!" Angel squealed, as Roger came off the plane, and she ran up to the gate to hug him. It was December 5th, and he had just come back from another tour.

"Hi, princess," he said, lifting her into his arms and kissing her cheek. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes," she said, "I did."

"Did you make friends at school while I was gone?"

"Yes."

"What are their names?"

"Lilly, Lizzie, Jessie, Bree, and Michael," Angel answered.

"That's great, princess," Roger said, walking to the car with Eve. He put Angel in the back seat and pulled Eve into a kiss. "Hi, Baby," he said.

"Hi, Rog," she said. "Welcome home."

"Thanks." Roger and Eve got in the car and started to drive home. "So what do you do in school, princess?" Roger asked Angel from the passenger seat.

"We finger-paint and draw and color and sing songs," said Angel.

"That's wonderful, princess," said Roger. "You're gonna sing like your daddy, right?"

"Or she could become a photographer like her mommy," said Eve. "Nah," she changed her mind mid-sentence, "I take that back. I've seen her paintings and drawings; she's gonna be an artist."

"She's gonna be whatever she wants to be, right, princess?" Roger asked Angel, who smiled as they arrived home.

-

"Roger," Eve said, later that night, when Angel was asleep and they were in bed, about to go to sleep, "there's something you should know…"

"What, Baby?" Roger asked.

"I'm pregnant."

Roger's eyes widened and he looked down at her. "What? You are? Seriously?"

"Yes, I am," said Eve, looking up at him, from where she lay on the pillow. "Two and a half months, the doctor said. I went in yesterday because I was feeling exhausted, and Doctor Sheppard did an ultrasound." She smiled up at him. "We're gonna have a baby, Roger. Isn't that amazing?" she said.

Roger was looking rather stunned, but Eve had expected this reaction. "It is," he said, "it is amazing, Baby. And I'm happy for you, really, but… I mean, are you sure you're ready for a baby? I mean, you didn't have to be pregnant and everything with Angel, and with Dakota, you were so young…"

"Are you done?" Eve asked sleepily, looking up at him.

Roger looked at her nervously. "I— um… yeah, I'm done," he said.

"It must have happened right before you left, Baby," Eve said.

"As in, the night before Angel's first day of kindergarten?"

Eve looked up at him and nodded after thinking for a minute. "Oh…" she said. "Yeah… I'll be excited once I quit getting dizzy and being nauseous every minute of the day. But I've only thrown up once."

Roger nodded. "Well, then," he said, "I'm excited, too. Baby, we're having a baby."

Eve smiled. "Yeah, Baby, we're having a baby." She kissed him gently. "Well, now that you've got that news in your head, good night."

-

Two weeks later, Roger woke up to hearing his wife emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. He went up to the closed door and knocked. "Eve, are you OK?"

"I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "I told you the other day, this is just part of the deal. I'll be out in a minute."

"Ok, Baby, I'll just wait," Roger said, going and lying back down on the bed. He wished he could help her, but he couldn't. Eve came staggering into the room and collapsed onto the bed beside him.

"Ugh…" she groaned. "Let's wait another couple of weeks to celebrate, OK?"

"OK, Baby," Roger said, and he snuggled close to her.

-

"Oh man, I am so sick of being pregnant," Eve whined to Barbara, a few weeks later. Barbara was eight months along and the Bohemians were getting more and more anxious for the long-awaited birth of both babies.

"You think you're sick of it?" Barbara asked. "I'm just about to pop, Eve, and I can barely walk."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Barb," Eve said, as they compared symptoms. "I stopped throwing up three weeks ago, and now my ankles are killing me."

Barb grinned. "We'll suffer together," she said, "at least for a little while. Then I'll be up for nights on end, changing diaper after diaper, and you will be the one who can barely walk."

"We'll kill our boys together," Eve said, and the two women laughed.

"Well, at least wait until the delivery for that," Roger joked. "That way, I can see my girl first."

"No way," Eve said. "This is not a girl crushing my ribcage and kicking me like the dickens, and giving my migraines every week. And _since _I'm pregnant, I can't take my Excedrin— that has painkillers _and _caffeine in it." Eve scowled at Roger, who wrapped his arms around her waist and caressed her five-months-pregnant belly.

"We get to hear our baby's heartbeat today," said Eve, looking up at Roger. "Then we're gonna start picking out names."

"I've been waiting for that ever since you first told me, Baby," said Roger, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her.

-

Eve smiled happily at Roger as they heard the strong beating of their baby's heart.

"There it is, Rog," Eve said. "It's our baby's heartbeat." She looked at Doctor Sheppard. "Can we know the sex of our baby?"

Doctor Sheppard moved the tool around on Eve's belly and then he paused. "There we go," he said, turning the screen, "I think you can tell for yourself what your baby is."

Eve looked and then she burst into tears of happiness. Roger looked rather confused and alarmed. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Eve swatted him on the arm. "You dork," she said, pointing to a place on the screen. "We—"

"Oh my God," Roger said, finally seeing it. "We're having a boy!"

"I told you a girl would not give me this much trouble," Eve teased. They both had tears in their eyes. "Now you'll have a son to teach how to play your fender guitar."

"Yeah," said Roger, hardly daring to believe it. "I have a son!"

"Not yet, you haven't," Eve teased, as she got off the table, dressed, and turned back to him. "You still have to wait another three months."

Roger smiled. "I think I can do that," he said, as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Great," she said, "now we have to stop Mo and Jo from buying everything blue in sight."

Roger grinned.

-

Roger and Eve were jarred awake by the phone ringing on the morning of January 28th. Roger moved as quickly as he could to answer it. "Hello?"

"Roger, it's Mark."

"Mark? What the hell is your damage? It's 5 A.M."

"Well, don't yell at me, Roger. My baby's in a hurry," Mark said, laughing nervously and ignoring Roger's retort. "It's his fault. Barbara's in labor. We're at Bellevue."

Roger sat up sharply and clutched the phone. "She is?" he asked. "Is she OK?"

"Yeah, she's OK," said Mark. "She's tired, but we're almost done. I just wanted you to know, in case you want to come by later."

"Can we come now?" Roger asked.

"No, I don't think the doctor would let you," said Mark, chuckling. "But I'll call when it's all over, OK?"

"OK. Congratulations, Mark," said Roger. "Good luck."

"Thanks, man." Roger heard someone scream at Mark on the other end. "Uh oh, I have to go; she's about to kill me for being on the phone at a time like this. I've already called Mo, Jo, and Collins, so they know. See you in a few hours."

"Bye, Mark." Roger hung up the phone and snuggled down next to Eve. "Sorry about that," he said. "Barbara's in labor."

Eve sat up. "Oh man, she is? Is she OK?"

"Yeah, she's fine," said Roger, "just screaming at Mark, that's all." He grinned. "I asked if we could be there, but Mark said probably not. We'll go there in a couple hours to see the baby, when he calls again."

"OK," said Eve, and she rolled onto her side to relieve pressure on her back, facing him. "Well, now I'm too excited to go back to sleep."

"Do you want to get up? I'm sure our little rock 'n roll princess is probably awake already."

"Sure," said Eve, and she got out of bed with Roger's help. "Thanks." She went out into the kitchen and turned the coffee on. Roger went in to Angel's bedroom and brought her out to the kitchen. She had, indeed, already been awake. "Morning, sweetie," she said, kissing Angel's cheek.

"Hi, Mommy," Angel said, smiling happily. "Hi, little brother," she said to Eve's belly.

Eve smiled at Roger. Angel was more than ready to become a big sister.

-

"Oh, he's so cute, Mark," Eve said, looking through the nursery window at Adam Cohen with Maureen, Joanne, and Collins. "I knew it was a boy giving Barb all that trouble."

"It always is," said Collins.

"Yeah," said Mark, smiling with pride, "it was. Barb's happy to finally have him here."

"Can the nurse bring him out, so we can hold him?" Roger asked.

"I'll ask, hang on," said Mark. He went into the nursery and took the baby from the nurse. "Here you go, Eve."

"Mark, you are so lucky," Eve said, looking up at him.

"I know," said Mark. "I should go ask what room Barb is in. I'll be right back."

He walked away and Eve walked around with Adam, rocking him slightly. Then Roger held him for a while, and Mark came back.

"She's in room 242," he said, taking Adam from Roger. "I told the nurse we're bringing him up for her to see, so they don't freak out when they find Adam gone or something. Barb's dying to see him again, now that he's all cleaned up and happy." He smiled and they went up to Barb's room.

"Barb," Eve said, coming into Barb's room, "he's absolutely amazing. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Eve," Barb said, smiling up at her. Eve handed the baby to Barb. "I'm glad to finally be at least 10 pounds lighter."

Eve laughed. "Yeah, it will be a relief to me, too." She sat down in a chair to relieve her back pain. "What's Adam's middle name?"

"Anthony," Barb said.

"Aw, that's cute," said Eve. "Adam Anthony Cohen. It flows, too."

Barb smiled. "Yes, it does." Mark came over and kissed her. "Thanks for coming, Eve," Barb said, looking at her, "but you can go home if you want. You look really tired."

"I feel tired," said Eve, smiling appreciatively at Barb's concern, "but I'm sure it's you guys that will need the rest the most in short time."

Roger put his arm around Eve and they waved to the new parents and the Bohemians, and then they left.

I realize this chapter was probably a little rushed. But if it was, I didn't mean it to be, and there is more to come. Please review.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	22. Chapter 22

This chapter was recently put up, but somehow, I messed up when I was uploading, and it got replaced by something it shouldn't have been. And unfortunately, I lost the computer document, so I had to type it all up again out of my notebook. If I couldn't have done that, I would have been seriously pissed off, if I had had to do it by memory. Please review; I need reviews to survive. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

"Roger, wake up."

"Roger not home, leave a message…"

"OK, if you want to miss the birth of your son…"

Roger woke with a start and let out a yelp. Eve chuckled and winced.

"Relax," she said, rubbing his arm, "I just needed to get your attention. Don't yell, or you'll wake Angel up, and we'll never get out of here. My contractions are six minutes apart. The doctor said to wait until they're at least four minutes apart."

Roger heaved in a deep breath. "But won't that be a while?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Eve. She bit her lip as she felt a contraction. "Can you call Joanne and Maureen or something? We can't leave Angel here, alone."

Roger nodded. "Of course I will," he said. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eve said, as she breathed through the contraction. She let out a sigh and relaxed when it ended.

Roger picked up the phone and dialed Joanne's place. "Joanne? It's Roger. Listen, I know it's early, but can you come to our place? Eve's in labor and we don't want to leave Angel alone… OK, thanks very much, we appreciate it… Don't honk when you arrive, though; just come right in… because Angel's still sleeping… See you soon. Bye."

Roger hung up and swung his legs out of bed. He quickly dressed and Eve breathed through another contraction. Thoughts of Dakota ran through Eve's head the whole time; Eve realized, Dakota would be almost nine by now. Eve hadn't thought about her in so long, she wondered why she was now.

Roger heard a knock from downstairs and Joanne and Maureen came in, as he was helping Eve out of bed and helping her get dressed. "Thanks for coming, you two," he said, as he helped Eve out into the hall. "There's no time to explain, though."

"What's there to explain?" Maureen asked, grinning, as she went past Roger and Eve, Joanne behind her. "You're having a baby; we aren't that slow, honey."

Roger smiled appreciatively, as Maureen and Joanne went into Angel's bedroom and checked on her. Eve was overcome by another contraction as they neared the bottom of the stairs. She gripped Roger's arm tightly and breathed through it.

"They're getting closer, Roger," she said, looking at him with worry.

"Almost there, Baby," Roger said, and they reached the bottom of the stairs. "You're doing great, just keep breathing."

Eve attempted a smile, overcome by a wince from the pain. Roger grabbed his and her coats and they went out the door.

-

"Eve, there's no time for an epidural, so I'm afraid this isn't gonna be much fun," Doctor Sheppard said, once Roger and Eve had arrived, and they'd gotten her into a private room.

Eve grimaced, but didn't say anything as several doctors and nurses hooked her up to all the necessary machines. Looking around, she felt a slight comfort in the familiar faces of her husband and Doctor Sheppard.

Doctor Sheppard positioned himself at her feet and looked at her. "OK, you're already fully dilated, so when I say so, you push, OK?"

Eve nodded and they waited a minute. Then Doctor Sheppard looked at her again. "OK, this is it," he said, as Roger wiped her sweaty forehead with a lukewarm washcloth. "Give me a big push, OK?"

Eve did as she was told. "That's it… good girl," Doctor Sheppard said. "OK, take a little break." Eve heaved a sigh and Roger smiled down at her.

"You're doing great, Baby," he said encouragingly.

"OK, give me another push, Eve," Doctor Sheppard instructed, and Eve pushed again. "I can see the baby's head. You'll be glad to know he isn't bald; lots of long blonde hair, just like his daddy's."

Eve started to cry happily, but she knew she wasn't finished yet. "One more big push, Eve," Doctor Sheppard said, and she did as she was told once more. "OK, stop pushing, Eve, the baby's head is out." Doctor Sheppard cleared the baby's mouth and nose. "OK, Eve, small push… and we have a boy! 8:02 A.M., May 7th, 1992."

Doctor Sheppard held the baby up for Eve to see, and she burst into tears of happiness. Roger leaned down to kiss her and cried with her. "Good job, Baby," Roger said, as he cut the cord. "You did it. He's finally here."

Eve smiled at her husband as the nurses took the baby away to be cleaned up, weighed, and measured. A few minutes later, they placed him in her arms. "21 inches, 8 pounds even," one of the nurses said, as she and Roger kissed him individually on the forehead and the nurse came over with a clipboard in her hand, on which the birth certificate was attached. "Do you have a name for this little guy?"

Eve looked up at Roger and he smiled. "Yes," she said. "Leo Aaron Davis." The nurse quickly wrote it down and handed the certificate to Roger.

"Congratulations," she said.

"Thank you," Eve and Roger said together. Eve laughed, still crying, as Roger leaned down to kiss her.

-

A few hours later, Eve and Leo were both resting comfortably. Eve gently stroked her son's golden hair. He reached up in his sleep and wrapped his little fingers around hers. Eve smiled and sobbed happily.

"Are you OK, Baby?" Roger asked, coming into the room and quietly closing the door behind himself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, sniffling. "This is just… so surreal, you know? I honestly never thought we'd see this day, and here it's happened."

"I know, Baby," Roger said, kissing her. "It is amazing. He's beautiful."

"Just like his daddy," Eve said, smiling up at him.

"I just called the house. Joanne said Angel hasn't stopped running around, screaming, since she woke up this morning, and they told her that her baby brother was on the way."

Eve laughed quietly. "I bet her, Mo, and Jo are celebrating right now," she said. "Did you call the Bohemians?"

"Of course, Baby," Roger said. "Collins freaked out on me— in a good way, of course."

Eve smiled. "I love you, Roger," she said.

"I love you, too, Eve," Roger said, "and I love my son."

"Roger Davis, the big, bad rock star, has a rock 'n roll princess, and a partner in crime now, too," Eve said, shaking her head. "Our moms are gonna freak."

"I know," said Roger. "I can imagine. Collins and Mark are finishing the nursery while we're here. Barb, Mo and Jo took Adam and Angel to Jo's place after we left, so the guys could work."

Eve gave him a worried look. "Oh man," she said, "those poor guys. They must be working endlessly. And Mark's got his own kid to worry about, as well as his documentary about us and _Buzzline_; he shouldn't have to worry about our kid, too."

"It's OK, Eve," Roger said. "They're doing it as a favor."

"Well, OK," Eve said, worried, "if he really is OK with it. Leo's not his son; it's our job to raise him. We've had this discussion before."

"I know, Baby, but don't worry about it, OK?" Roger asked, looking down at her. "You'll get your blood pressure up, and then the doctor will be in here, after me." Roger smiled. "Besides, you're going home this afternoon."

"Good," said Eve, "I can't wait to see my little girl again, and show off my new baby boy."

-

"Mommy and Daddy are home!" Angel whispered excitedly, running up to them as they came through the door.

"Hi, princess," Roger whispered, picking her up and kissing her cheek. "Meet your new little brother, Leo."

"Hi, Leo," Angel said, smiling down at her little brother in Eve's arms.

"Thank you for being quiet, Angel," Eve whispered. "Come into the living room and I'll put him into his rocker, so you can see him better."

"OK, Mommy," Angel said, and she went bounding into the living room.

"So, you're OK, Eve?" Joanne asked, looking at Eve with concern.

"Yeah, I'm OK, Jo," Eve said, smiling at her. "It was really fast, actually. I guess Leo was in a hurry. I didn't even have time for an epidural or anything."

Joanne smiled. "Collins, Mark, and Barb left at noon. They'll be back later tonight, though." Eve nodded.

"Any particular reason you chose Leo as his name?" Maureen asked.

Eve shrugged. "I just like it," she said. "I always have. It sounds strong and manly, which fits Davis boys just great. We used Roger's middle name, too; it flows well."

"Leo Aaron Davis," Maureen said. "Hey, it does. Well, congratulations, Eve, but we have to go. Jo has to get to work."

"Thank you for watching Angel," Eve said appreciatively. "I can't thank you enough."

"That's what aunts are for," Maureen said, as they went to the door. "See you later. Good luck."

"Thanks," said Eve, and she waved as Maureen and Joanne left.

-

"Oh, let me see the little darling," Mrs. Simmons said, coming into the house the following week.

"Here you go, Mom," Eve said, handing her the newborn. "Leo Aaron Davis, your birthday grandson." For indeed, Leo and Mrs. Simmons now shared the same birthday.

"He looks just like his daddy," Mr. Simmons said.

"I know, Dad. I love his blonde hair, and he has Roger's eyes. They're blue now, but I'll bet you anything they'll turn green in time. You know how much I love Roger's eyes," Eve said, smiling at her father.

Mrs. Simmons smiled. "Oh my," she said, putting her hand on Eve's cheek. "Just yesterday, it seems, I brought you home from the hospital, and now," she started to choke up, "you've brought your own baby home."

"Yeah, Mom," Eve said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Don't cry, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Simmons said, as Mr. Simmons took Leo from her. "I don't mean to. I'm being silly."

"It's OK, Mom, I understand. You don't have to apologize," Eve said, as she wiped away her mother's tears with her thumb.

-

Eve rushed into the house with nine-month-old Leo on her hip, and Angel clinging to her left hand. "Roger?" she called out. "Are you here?"

"In the living room, Baby," Roger called back. He looked up from where he was sitting at his desk. He noticed Leo was crying. "What's up? Is he OK?"

"Yeah, he's OK," Eve said. "We went to the doctor for inoculations today, so he's not happy." Eve nuzzled her son's cheek fondly, but he only screamed louder and pushed her face away. "Oh man… can you take him?"

"Well, you're mean for taking him to get shots on Valentine's Day— I mean, come on," Roger teased. "Yeah, Baby. Here," he said, taking Leo from her. Roger kissed his cheek and tossed him up in the air and caught him a second later. Roger made sounds to go with it, and soon, Leo had stopped crying, and was giggling gleefully instead. Eve gave Roger a sour look.

"Why is it always me?" she asked, heaving a frustrated sigh. "That's not fair."

"Baby, he just missed his daddy," Roger said, grinning. "And that's the thing we do together, father-and-son, anyway."

Eve looked at him and grinned as they went into the kitchen to make dinner. "I have some great news," she said, barely able to contain her excitement anymore.

"What, Baby?"

"Doctor Sheppard did some tests on Leo while we were there for inoculations— he's negative."

Roger let out a cheer and hugged her close with his free arm. "Oh my God, Baby," he said, "that's amazing. That's a miracle."

"I know," Eve said, tears in her eyes as she took Leo from Roger and set him down on the floor. She gave him a small pot. "Here, baby boy, that will keep you entertained until supper's ready."

"What are you making, Baby?" Roger asked.

"I'm probably going to make stroganoff," Eve answered.

"Mm," Roger said, hugging her from behind. "That's your specialty, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Eve said, smiling pleasantly. "But it's kind of hard to cook with you hanging on me, Baby."

"Oh. Sorry," Roger said, letting go of her. "But I like hanging on you, it is fun." Eve gave him a look, but she was smiling. "OK, I'll go play with the kids until you're ready for us to come eat."

"OK, Baby," Eve said, smiling at him. At that moment, Leo decided to bang the pot on the laminate floor extra hard. "Good boy," she added to him, grinning and laughing. "You be Daddy's drummer."

Roger grinned and picked up Leo and the pot, and went into the living room to play with his son and daughter.

Don't forget to review. I need reviews to survive. Thanks for reading, and have a great day. I will probably not update for a couple of days; we've had a death in the family recently, so that, and quarter finals coming up, are the only things on my mind. Please be understanding; my mind just doesn't seem to be working properly lately, for much of anything, let alone writing, updating, or school finals. I will get back to Roger's Next Step and Crash as soon as I can.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

* * *

"Hey, Baby, the Bohos were wondering if you'd like to go to the Life Café tonight, just to hang out," Roger said, coming into the living room.

Eve looked up at Roger wearily. "They were?" she asked.

"Yeah," Roger said. "Do you want to? I mean, I know you're tired, so if you don't want to, I'll call Mark back and let him know."

"Thanks, Roger," said Eve. "I'd appreciate that. I realize we haven't had an actual hangout night in a long time, simply because we have to baby sit one another's kids more than occasionally, but…"

"It's OK, Baby," Roger said, smiling as he caressed her face. "Mark and the others will understand."

Eve smiled wearily. "Thanks," she said, and she went to go lie down.

"Can I join you?" Roger asked, after he'd called Mark.

"Sure," Eve said. "Go ahead."

Roger smiled and climbed into bed with her. They lay there, both fully clothed, and Eve fell asleep within minutes, exhausted.

Eve stared at the pregnancy test in her hand. Two pink lines were clearly visible. Her mind was numb.

_I'm pregnant, _she thought. _That's why I've been so tired lately. What if the baby is positive? What if _I'm _positive? We've used protection, but there's still always a risk. What do I do? I just don't know._

Eve looked up when she heard a knock on the door. "Eve?" Roger called. "Are you OK, Baby?"

"Yeah, Roger," she said, and she quickly got dressed. "I'm all right. You can come in."

He opened the door and walked in to her. "What's up?" he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm pregnant, Roger."

Roger's face split into a wide smile. "That's great, Baby," he said. "We should probably go into Doctor Sheppard, just to check up on you and get all that pre-natal stuff they require." He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"OK," Eve said, smiling up at him, as he leaned down to kiss her. "And thanks for not freaking out on me this time."

"Well, like you said," Roger said, shrugging, "this one's planned."

"Hi, guys," Eve said, later that day, as she came into the loft to meet with the Bohemians. "I have some news."

"What?" they asked.

"You guys are gonna be aunts and uncles again."

"Eve, you're pregnant?" Barbara asked.

Eve smiled. "Yeah, I am," she said, "but hopefully, this guy will be easier on me than Leo was."

"The second child is always easier, they say," Barbara said. "But I'm not going to believe them until that time comes."

Mark's head whipped around so fast at that sentence, he appeared to crick his neck; rubbing it, he asked her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Barbara grinned and rubbed his arm. "Nothing, Baby," she said. "I'm not pregnant, I promise."

Mark sighed. "Phew," he said, "because Collins and Roger and I are having too much fun corrupting Adam to have another child right now… I mean, one of my own," he stammered. "I'm more than happy Eve's pregnant, of course… I'm not making any sense, am I?" he asked.

Barbara nodded and grinned at him, leaning her head against his shoulder, as he kissed her hair.

"Can we see her?" Collins asked, coming up to Roger, in front of the nursery, with Maureen, Joanne, Barbara, and Mark behind him, not too much longer after Dylan had been born.

"In a couple of hours," Roger said. He looked into the window of the nursery at his newborn son. "She has to be in recovery for a while since this was a C-section, with just me for company, and then you guys can see her, once they move her into a private room."

"OK," said Collins. "But she's OK, right?"

"Yeah," said Roger. "She's OK; a little sore from her incision, but she'll be fine in a few weeks. The doctor said no heavy lifting for a month and she has to just take it slow."

"Has Eve _ever _taken it slow?" Maureen asked pointedly, grinning.

"Not exactly," Roger said, grinning back at her. "But I told her if she doesn't slow down, she will risk hurting herself, so she promises to follow instructions."

"Another very unlike-Eve thing to do," Mark said, and they laughed.

"What's his name, Roger?" Joanne asked.

"Dylan," Roger said, "after Eve's father. Dylan Wyatt Davis. Wyatt was another name that Eve really liked when she was young, and it never went away."

The Bohemians grinned. With the Davis family now complete, Roger couldn't be happier. And it showed.

* * *

_Three years later..._

"Are you ready for another push, baby boy?" Eve asked, as she pushed her three-year-old son in the baby swing one afternoon.

"Yeah, Mommy, swing," Dylan said, and Eve pushed him gently. The little boy squealed happily and Eve smiled, her heart brimming with joy. He was such a good boy.

A little while later, Dylan was tired of that, so Eve followed him around on the equipment and she held him up so he could attempt to swing across the monkey bars. Eve smiled at Roger, who was watching from a distance with Leo and Angel, and he smiled back.

Finally, an hour or so later, Dylan was starting to get tired, so Eve picked him up and they walked back home with Angel and Leo.


	24. Chapter 24

I managed to thoroughly depress myself with this chapter. I hope that doesn't happen to any of you, or you might stop reading on me, LOL. This chapter contains some strong language, so if you don't think you can handle it, don't read it. But I need reviews to survive, so don't forget to do that once you're done reading.

**Chapter 24**

* * *

"Damn it, Roger, I told you to stay away from me for a while," said Eve. She was at the loft, avoiding Angel and Roger, because she was feeling rather sick and didn't want Roger or Angel to catch whatever she had. Roger already had a slight chest cold.

"Eve," Roger said, "don't yell at me, Baby. You've been really tired for days. You've been sleeping everywhere. I know you; you normally can only sleep in our bed."

"I have a three-year-old, a nine-year-old, and a 15-year-old. What do you expect— me to be bouncing off the walls?" Eve asked irritably, putting a hand to her head, which was throbbing.

"I know what you mean. But I'm saying, Baby, that you're sick and I want to get you checked out, whether you like it or not, because you're hardly ever sick," said Roger. He watched as she ran into the bathroom and threw up. "I don't like this at all." He coughed a little as he said this.

"OK," said Eve, looking up at him with weary eyes, "if you want to take me in, fine. But whatever it is, I don't want you to get it, and if you do, I'll spare you the pain and suffering and will kill you myself, do you understand?"

"Yes, Baby, I understand," said Roger. "You would, too." He smiled and put his arm around her.

"Daddy," said Dylan, coming into the room, "what's wrong? Why are you yelling?"

"Sorry, baby boy," Roger said, picking him up. "Your momma's just not feeling so good, that's all."

"Are you going to the doctor?"

"I think so, baby boy. We won't be gone long. Leo and Angel will be here to look after you, OK?"

"OK," said Dylan, and he rested his head on Roger's shoulder. Roger smiled and coughed some more.

Eve stood up. "You should probably get that cold checked out, Baby," she said to him. "I don't like the sound of that cough."

"Baby, you know I'm healthy. My t-cells are high. There's only about a one percent chance of this turning into PCP."

"And that one percent chance is about fifty percent chance with your HIV," Eve said sternly, "so I want you to get it checked out with me when we go. I would kill myself if you died from it." Roger realized this was not a request, it was an order.

Roger sighed and rocked Dylan. "Baby, don't say that, especially not around the kids… you would never kill yourself. OK, Baby, you win," he said. "I'll leave the kids here for a while; Aunt Maureen and Joanne will enjoy that."

"OK," said Eve, and Roger helped her to the car.

* * *

Roger rushed into the loft, with three-year-old Dylan in one arm, and nine-year-old Leo and 15-year-old Angel behind him. "Anyone here?" he called out.

"Upstairs," said Mark's voice. He came into view. "What's up?"

"Eve's sick," said Roger. "Can you call Mo and Jo and take care of the kids for me for a while? I'm taking her to the doctor; we should be back in a few hours."

"Is she all right?" Mark asked, coming down the stairs and taking Dylan from Roger.

"No," said Roger, shaking his head. "She's been throwing up for two days and sleeping for three. I'm worried; she's hardly ever sick."

"What do you think it could be?"

"I don't know, but I want to find out. My Baby isn't weak and sick all over the place. My Baby is strong and full of life," said Roger. Mark nodded. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Mark shook his head. "It's not a problem, Roger," he said. "I'll call Mo and Jo. They'll be happy to be able to spend time with their niece and nephews. Take your time."

"OK," said Roger, smiling at Mark, "thanks. See you later."

Mark waved and Roger left.

* * *

Roger returned home with Eve an hour or so later, and she immediately went to lie down. She didn't want to keep getting up and down, or she'd throw up. He stayed with her for as long as she needed, and only got up when the phone rang.

"I'll be right back, Baby," he said, rubbing her back comfortingly. He went out to the kitchen and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is Eve Davis there? This is Doctor Sheppard calling."

"Yes, she's here, Doctor," said Roger. "Hang on, I'll see if she's up to coming to the phone." Roger put the phone down and went into the bedroom. "Baby, it's Doctor Sheppard calling. Can you come to the phone?"

"No, Baby," she said, worried by the sound of this, "could you bring it to me, please?"

"Sure, Baby," he said, and he brought the cordless to her.

"Hi, this is Eve Davis… I see. Are you sure...? OK, thank you, Doctor… I will… Bye," she said, hanging up.

"What did he say?" Roger asked.

"My test results came back, Rog," said Eve. She looked up at him, worried. "I'm positive."

"What?" Roger said, stunned. "But how's that possible? We've always been so careful…"

"I know, Baby, but these things happen," said Eve. "The doctor wants me to pick up my AZT as soon as possible, in order to make these symptoms go away."

Roger looked at her with anguish. "Oh my God, Baby, I'm so sorry… this is all my fault…"

"No, Baby, it's not. We were careful, that's all we could do," said Eve. "Besides, I'm 40 years old. I'm bound to die of old age instead of AIDS. You've lived for over 30 years with it; I'm sure I will, too."

She reached out to hold him, but he backed away, horrified. She looked at him, scared at seeing this side of him. It wasn't angry, it was scared, scared to death. She'd never seen him like this before.

"I know, Baby," Roger said, turning away from her, his face in his hands. "I need to go for a walk."

"Baby, please, don't do this… stay here, please," Eve begged him, tears filling her eyes. "Stay here and talk to me. Don't go."

"I need to go for a walk to _think_, Eve," Roger said, his voice filled with pain and bitterness. "I'll be back later."

"Roger, please don't leave," Eve said again.

"Baby, when we met 22 years ago, you were negative, and now you're positive," Roger said. "How could this not be my fault? I swore to your dad I'd protect you from it with every fiber in my being, when we got engaged. Oh man, he's gonna kill me…"

"He is not gonna kill you," said Eve. "He's always been slow to anger." Eve looked straight into his eyes. "Roger, when we met, I knew the risks of being with you. I wasn't afraid of you then, and I'm not now. It's OK."

"No, it's not OK," said Roger. His head was spinning. He put his head in his hands, trying to regain his senses. "What are we gonna do?"

"I'm gonna go on meds and live my life as I always have," Eve said. "I have two wonderful sons and a daughter. We both have to live for them as long as we can. That's all we can do, is make them happy while we're still on this Earth, Rog."

"What are we gonna tell the kids?" Roger asked.

"I don't know," said Eve. "We'll think of something." Roger backed further away from her. "Roger, don't. Everything is gonna be OK, I promise."

Roger looked down at her, his eyes filled with pain. "I hope so, Eve," he said, "I really hope so. I'm gonna go on that walk now. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Eve swallowed and nodded and watched him leave.

* * *

"GODDAMNIT, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN?" Roger screamed, pacing around the loft, tears streaming down his face, and he was hyperventilating and sobbing harshly.

"Roger, calm down," Mark said quietly, where he sat, stunned, in a chair near the wall, watching his best friend fall apart. Watching this was nearly killing him.

"I can't calm down, Mark! I love her with very part of me, and now, it's like I've killed her!" Roger yelled. "She didn't have HIV, and now she does— FROM ME! I told her dad that I would protect her from that fucking ravaging beast of a disease with every fiber in my being, and now I've killed her!"

"She's not dead, Roger," Mark said. "You've lived for over 30 years with it. She's not gonna die from it. There are better meds for it now."

"That's what she said. But after all these years… we've been together 22 years… how could she be positive now?" Roger asked helplessly.

"Roger, it's gonna be OK," Mark said, coming over and hugging him. "It's OK. She told you it's OK, so it is."

"How, Mark?" Roger asked, looking down at him. Mark had never seen him so hurt and upset and scared before. Eve being positive from him was the worst thing that could ever happen to him.

"She will be," Mark said. "We're all here. It's OK. We're all here for both of you."

"What am I gonna tell our kids?" Roger asked.

"The truth," Mark said. "You've never lied to them once in their entire lives, and you won't start now."

"They're gonna hate me for it," Roger said. "I know they're gonna hate me for giving it to her; especially Angel, since she knows what it's like, having had it for 15 years herself. I mean, come on, you've seen her temper. She completely blows up."

"A Davis trait," Mark pointed out, slightly harsher than he'd meant. But for the first time in several minutes, Roger choked out a hollow laugh. But then it vanished.

"But how can they not hate me for giving her HIV, Mark?" Roger asked, "when _I_ hate me?" But Mark didn't move. He knew better than to leave Roger alone when he was like this; he simply took his rage, even if it scared him.

"Rog, I know those boys and Angel like they were my own kids," said Mark, looking up at him. "The boys worship you and Angel is practically a spitting image of Eve, blood or not. Calm down. They are _not_ gonna hate you."

"She's my life, Mark. She's everything to me; how could I have done this to them?" Roger asked. "I swore to her dad that I wouldn't, and now I have. She's not the first person I've failed to protect in my life. First April, then Mimi, and now her, and that's not counting all my other previous girlfriends. I'm such a failure."

"Roger, you are _not_ a failure. It's gonna be OK. No one's going anywhere. We're all here for you. We'll get through this together," Mark said, fighting back his own tears.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

* * *

The next day, Eve rose early, having slept a good part of four days away, and went to go check on Angel and the boys. She looked in on the boys and saw them sleeping peacefully in their bunk beds, Leo on the top bunk and Dylan on the bottom bunk. She smiled to herself.

She heard Roger come out of their bedroom and he wrapped his hands around her waist. "Hey," he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek, "we can't keep this from them, you know."

Eve turned to face him, pressing herself into his strong frame. "I know, Baby," she said. "I don't want to keep it from them. I just don't know how to tell them yet. I'll think of something." She let out a yawn. "What time is it?"

Roger tossed out a guess. "I don't know, it's like, six." He looked down at her painfully. "Baby, I'm sorry about yesterday. I really freaked out. I didn't mean to scare you."

Eve looked up at him. "I know," she said, "but you don't have to be. I'm on my meds and that will make it so much easier. I'm not gonna die from this, Roger, that I will promise you."

Roger nodded numbly. "Can we go back to bed?" he asked.

"I'm not going to, but you can," said Eve. "I think I'm going to go to work, since my head has stopped throbbing."

"OK, but be careful," said Roger. "Take your AZT before you leave."

"OK, thank you, Baby," said Eve, "good night." She went into the bathroom to get ready.

That afternoon, instead of going home from work right away, Eve went to the loft. She wanted to see how Mark was taking the news. "Mark," she said, walking into the loft, "are you here?"

"Yeah, Eve, I'm here," he answered. "I just got back from _Buzzline_. I got a raise with my latest segment about you and Roger."

Eve smiled. "I'm happy for you," she said. Then she got an uncomfortable feeling at Mark's tone of voice. "Roger came here yesterday, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he was completely freaking out," said Mark. "But that's OK; he just needed someone to talk to. Someone that wasn't—"

But Mark stopped, realizing what he had been about to say.

"Me," Eve guessed, looking up at him. Mark nodded numbly.

"I'm sorry you have it, Eve," said Mark.

"I could be, too, Mark," said Eve, "but I'm not. I knew the risks of being with Roger, and I wasn't afraid of him then. I'm not now, even though he gave me this. It was an accident. We did everything we could to protect me from it, knowing that even that may not work, and it didn't."

Mark closed his eyes wearily and opened them again. "Do you know how you're gonna tell Angel and the boys?"

"Not yet," she said, "do you have any suggestions?"

"No, sorry, I don't. Do the Bohos know yet?"

"No, I haven't told them yet. I was thinking we could all get together later today and just hang around and talk, even with Dylan, Leo, and Angel. Then they would know, too."

"That sounds like a good idea, Eve," said Mark. "Are you feeling OK today?"

"Yeah, I'm fine today," she said. "Maybe we should wait for a while to tell everyone, though. Roger has a cold and I don't want Collins or Angel getting sick."

"We'll postpone it for later, then," Mark said. Eve nodded and smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "I'm going to get going. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Eve," Mark said, smiling, and she left.

* * *

Later that week, Roger was feeling better, so he and Eve and the kids went to the loft to see the other Bohos and tell them the news. Everyone gathered around in the main living area and Eve cleared her throat.

"OK, what's the emergency?" Collins asked, as always.

"Well, Roger and I thought you all should know, when I was feeling ill last week, it was because…" But Eve couldn't say it. She swallowed and tried again. "Roger and I went to the doctor and they ran some tests and…" She looked up at the Bohemians and her kids, trying to find strength in Roger's hand holding hers. "Guys, I can't keep this from you. I have HIV."

She watched each individual reaction carefully. Leo looked stunned; he was only nine, but Eve and Roger had made sure he knew about the disease and was OK with it, even if he was negative. Dylan, not understanding, simply sat on Joanne's lap and stared at Eve with his big green eyes. Collins looked sadly at her as he dissolved into a coughing fit. It almost hurt Eve the worst to see him the way he was. It wasn't disappointment on his face, but it was complete sympathy and sadness. Eve felt tears burning the backs of her eyes, just looking at him, so she couldn't meet his gaze. Maureen and Joanne were tearing up, and they hugged each other for moral support. Mark, who already knew, simply sat there.

It was Angel's reaction that surprised Eve the most. The 15-year-old stood up angrily and glared at her parents, particularly her father.

"Oh my God!" she said fiercely. "How could you do this to us? I mean, it's bad enough that we have to watch Uncle Collins dying from it, or worry that every time Dad has a cough, whether it's PCP that's going to put him into respiratory arrest or not! I can hardly go to school without people staring at me, scared stiff, because they think I'm going to hemorrhage on them if I fall and cut myself, and give them HIV, too! And now you're telling us that we have to sit back and watch you die, too?!

"I already had to bury my mom once," Angel said through her tears, looking at them through intensely sad blue eyes. "Please don't make me do it again."

Angel let out a sob and spun on her heel and left the room. "Angel!" Eve called after her. "Angel, don't do this! Angel, come back!"

But she didn't look back.

Eve sank back against the chair, defeated. Dylan, sensing his mother's tension from where he sat in his favorite aunt's lap, started to cry. Eve held out her arms and Joanne handed Dylan to her. She hugged him close for comfort, and he quieted slightly. Eve rocked him, tears in her eyes as well.

"I'll go talk to her, Baby girl," Collins said, standing up and coughing. "Are you gonna be OK?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Eve said, looking at Collins with concern, as Roger held her and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Collins. She might have gone back to the house."

Collins nodded. "I'll check there, too," he said, and then he left, coughing as he went.

Roger held out his arms to Leo, who was looking up at them. "Come here, kiddo," he said, and he held the nine-year-old tightly. "You know your mom and I love you so much, right?" Leo nodded. "Your mom's not gonna die from this, that we promise you."

But Eve met Roger's gaze, and she could see he was as troubled as she was.

* * *

Collins walked down the street to the Davis' house, searching for Angel. He'd thought she would maybe have been right outside, away from everyone, but she hadn't been. So, now he was at their house, searching for her.

He found the secret key under the front steps and let himself in. He closed the door and stopped for a moment. He heard music blaring, so he knew she was in her bedroom. He went upstairs and leaned on the door.

"Angel," he said, knocking on the door, "it's Collins, open up." A few moments later, when there was no change, he knocked again, louder and harder this time. "Angel, it's Collins," he called, unable to yell because his chest hurt. "Open up, Baby girl."

He pounded on the door this time, and the music stopped. Then the door opened.

"I already told you, I don't want to talk—" she began, and then she realized who it was. "Oh, hi, Collins…" She walked away from the door and sat down on her bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom and dad were worried about you, so I said I'd find you," Collins replied. He could see she had been crying more. "Why'd you run off like that, Baby girl?"

"I had to," Angel said. "I was just so mad, you know?"

"I know, Baby girl, but you shouldn't be mad. Your mom's scared, you know."

Angel looked up at him. "I guess I am, too," she said. Then she frowned bitterly. "But I meant what I said back there. I already had to bury my mom once— my birth mom, I mean— and now she's asking me to do it again."

"She's not asking that of you, Baby girl," Collins said, shaking his head. "She's just asking you to love her as she is, disease and all. That's why she and your dad love each other so much, like they do. She's not afraid to love him, disease and all. If she were, you and the boys wouldn't be here today." He smiled down at her.

Angel nodded. "I know," she said, sighing. "OK, I'll talk to her. Thanks for listening, Collins."

Collins smiled. "That's what I'm here for, Baby girl."

"Why do you keep calling me that? I mean, I've heard it all my life, basically, but I've never wondered until now."

"It's the nickname I had for your mom when she was younger," Collins said thoughtfully. "I decided to pass it on, I guess. Why, don't you like it?"

"I do. I was just curious. Can I ask you something?"

"I believe you just have," Collins said wisely, "but go ahead and ask me something else."

"Have you ever considered… you know… becoming straight again? Is that even possible?"

Collins thought about it for a long moment, and then he looked at her. "I have," he said, "but I think, if I did, my partner, Angel, would kick my ass. She died of AIDS complications a long time ago."

Angel's face fell. "I'm sorry, Collins. Do you miss her?"

"Every day," Collins answered. "That's how it is when people you love die. Suddenly, now that they're gone, you feel that there was so much you could have said to them, or done with them, while they were alive. But you learn to deal with it. Death is a part of life. You know that."

Angel nodded and swallowed. Then a curious look came over her face. "You keep saying 'she'," she said, "but wasn't Angel a man?"

"Well, yes and no," Collins said, and his face split into an evil grin. "Angel was a transvestite."

"A what?"

"A transvestite, a cross-dresser; Angel was a man, but dressed like a woman."

Angel's eyebrows shot up in a very Eve-like way. "Oh," she said, rather surprised. "OK, I can go with that."

Collins smiled. "Angel was also called a drag queen, because of the way she used to dance. She was pretty cool. She put the dents in our lives."

"I wish I could have met her."

"I'm sure you would have liked her. You'll meet her someday, though."

Angel nodded and sighed. "Yeah," she said sadly. "I'm ready to go back now, if you want."

"OK, good, because your parents will probably be wondering what happened to us," said Collins, and he left with her.

* * *

Eve was relieved when Angel came back with Collins. She went up to Angel and hugged her. Angel hugged her back, though slightly stiffly.

"Angel, Baby," she said softly, "please don't be mad at me. I swear, I did not do this to hurt you or your brothers."

"I'm not, Mom," she said, fighting back her own tears. "I guess I'm just really scared for you. I mean, did you protect yourself? Did you know you would get it? I mean, they teach us all about it in school, but they don't really know what it's like. They can give us all the statistics they want, but it's not the same."

"I know, Baby," said Eve, "but I love you guys. You're my babies."

Angel smiled. "I know," she said. "I love you, too, Mom."

Eve kissed Angel on the top of her head and held her close.

* * *

I thought it would be interesting to emphasize Collins and Angel's niece-to-uncle relationship more. From the middle of the story, although it was me writing it, I began to take interest in that, so I gave it a whirl. I think it turned out pretty well. Please review to tell me what you think. I need reviews to survive.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	26. Chapter 26

The doctor's name in this chapter is my favorite character in Cindy Holby's western romance series, "Wind". Only she profits off that name, LOL, but I really like it, so I'd like to use it. I could always ask her permission to use it, too, instead of putting in a disclaimer; she and I have corresponded a few times. She's very cool. I can't wait until August, when her new book comes out!

**Chapter 26**

* * *

Roger woke with a start, when he heard the phone ring one morning. He realized one second that Eve was lying next to him, and the next that Angel, Leo, and Dylan were gone. Then he picked up the phone and heard someone panicking. "Hello?"

"Roger, it's me." It was Eve. "I'm at Collins', next door. You've got to come over here, Rog. I went over to see if he was OK… he's had a nasty chest cold lately, you know… Roger, he's collapsed."

Roger's eyes widened. "Oh my God," he said. "He did? Is he breathing?"

"Yeah, he's breathing," Eve stammered, sounding terrified, "but barely. He's mumbling a little."

"Did you call 911?"

"Not yet. I didn't want to leave him."

"OK. Eve, Baby, listen to me," Roger said. "I'm going to call 911 and then I'll be right over, OK? You stay there and don't do anything reckless, OK? Stay with Collins and the kids."

"I will. Hurry, Roger!"

Roger called 911 and gave the operator Collins' address, since he wasn't calling from there. Then he rushed next door to Collins' place and went in without even knocking. He ran over to Eve, who was kneeling next to the couch Collins was lying on.

"Did he collapse there?" Roger asked.

"No," Eve sobbed, "I found him in the kitchen."

Roger's eyebrows rose. "And you got him here all by yourself?"

Eve scowled at him. "I have a three-year-old, a nine-year-old, and a 15-year-old. I think I'm pretty tough, Rog."

"Oh, Baby," Roger said, kneeling down next to her and wrapping his arms around her, "I didn't mean it that way. You know I didn't."

Eve nodded tearfully. "I'm sorry. I know," she said. "Rog, I think… I think he's dying."

As she said this, Collins stirred slightly. "Eve…" he choked, and then he hacked horribly.

"It's OK, Collins," she said, holding his big hand, which was uncharacteristically cold. "It's Eve. I'm here. You're gonna be OK."

"Can't… breathe…" Collins gasped.

"I know, honey, I know," Eve said, tears in her eyes. "Roger's called 911. You're gonna be OK. Just hang in there, OK?"

"Doctor said… t-cells… really low," Collins gasped. "I should… have told… you guys… long time ago…"

"No, it's OK," Eve said, trying to remain calm. "It's OK, Collins, you're gonna make it. Just hang in there, OK?"

"OK," said Collins, and he closed his eyes and let out a ragged breath.

Eve looked at Roger, terrified. "Collins," she said, giving his hand a firm squeeze, "you gotta stay awake, OK? You gotta stay awake and talk to me. Talk to me, Collins."

Roger knew what was going through Eve's mind. She was afraid Collins would fall asleep forever. Roger realized with a pang that he was afraid of that, too.

The paramedics rushed in and lifted Collins onto a stretcher. It killed Roger and Eve to see him this way. He had always been so strong to her, able to take anything that came his way. He was famous for his trademark bear hugs. Now he was lying on the stretcher, frail and weak, as the disease ravaged through his body, threatening to take him from them forever tonight.

"Roger," she said, as he pulled her out of the way, "I don't think I can take this…"

Roger hugged her close, kissing her hair and wrapping his arms around her body. "It'll be OK, Eve," he said, "I promise. Relax, Baby, it'll be OK."

Eve nodded. "I hope so, Baby," she said, clutching Roger, terrified. "I really hope so."

"Are you family?" one of the paramedics asked, after they'd loaded Collins into the ambulance and placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose to help him breathe.

"Not blood," said Roger, "but we're close. He doesn't have any blood family. He's HIV-positive."

"Can one of you come with him?" the paramedic asked, nodding. "In case he passes out, it would be easier for him if he saw a familiar face when he wakes up."

"Is he gonna make it?" Eve asked the paramedic.

"All we're worried about right now is getting him to Bellevue alive," the paramedic said. Eve nodded. "The doctors will take care of the rest when we get there. They'll do their best. Can one of you come along?"

"You go, Baby," Roger said, kissing her. "You're in no state to drive. You go with him. I'll call the Bohemians and I'll get Mark, OK?"

Eve nodded. "OK. Be careful, Baby," she said. Roger smiled at her and she climbed into the ambulance with the paramedics, holding Collins' hand the whole way.

* * *

Mark jumped when he heard the phone ring. He picked it up hastily. "Hello?"

"Mark, it's Roger. Collins collapsed. I'll pick you up in five minutes to explain everything, OK?"

Mark nearly dropped the phone in shock. "OK," he said. "Be careful, Roger." He hung up numbly.

"Collins collapsed," he said to Barbara, who was making Adam breakfast. "I have to go to Bellevue. I'll be home as soon as possible, OK?"

Barbara looked alarmed. "OK," she said, giving him a kiss goodbye. "Be careful, Mark."

"I will. I'll call you when we know anything. Bye, kiddo, I'll be back later," Mark said to Adam, as he heard Roger honk outside, and he ran down and climbed in. "Is he OK?" Mark asked Roger, as they sped to Bellevue.

"He was breathing when the paramedics took him," said Roger. "That's all we know. Mo and Jo are gonna meet us at Bellevue. Damn it, how could this happen?"

"We knew it would," Mark said, trying to keep his composure. He turned around and reached to play with Dylan's chubby hands, just to have something to do. "We just weren't expecting something… so sudden… you know?" he said to Roger.

Roger nodded as they drove into Bellevue's parking lot and they quickly got out. Roger carried Dylan and Angel and Leo walked beside Mark, and they both went up to the front desk.

"Thomas Collins," Mark said, knowing that, if Collins knew, he would hurt Mark for calling him by his first name. Only Angel had been allowed to do that. "He should have just come in."

"Room 342," the secretary said, after she had looked up the records.

Mark and Roger looked at each other. "Third floor," they repeated, terror rising in their chests, "already?" Third floor at Bellevue was hospice— where patients were taken when there was nothing more the doctors could do for them. The secretary nodded and Mark and Roger raced to the elevator with Angel, Leo, and Dylan in Roger's arms.

The elevator could not move quickly enough for them. Roger kept pummeling the 3 key repeatedly, which of course, didn't make a difference whatsoever. His and Mark's brows furrowed with worry, and they sped down the hall once the elevator opened, to Collins' room. Roger knocked and they went in.

Eve was sitting in a chair next to Collins' bed, holding his hand. "Down," Dylan said to his father, and Roger set him down. He ran over to his mother and she hugged him close, trying to keep calm.

"Are Mo and Jo here yet?" Mark asked.

"No," Eve replied, but she'd spoken too soon. A few seconds later, there was another knock on the door, and Maureen and Joanne came into the room, their cheeks tear-stained and their eyes red.

"Is he… you know… suffering, being like this?" Maureen asked.

Nobody said anything. None of them really knew how to answer that.

"Uncle Collins is really sick, Mom?" Angel asked Eve.

Eve looked down at her daughter sadly. "Yes, Baby girl," she said, and her voice choked up at what she'd just said. Collins had always called her that until recently; he'd even called Angel that. His two most special girls. "Yes, Uncle Collins is very sick. He might… he might die. We don't know yet." Eve was glad Dylan couldn't understand yet, being so young. He was lucky.

Eve looked into Angel's eyes, which were suddenly filling up with tears. She hugged Angel, hard. "Oh, Baby," she said, "I'm sad, too. But there's nothing we can do if he doesn't make it."

Angel nodded. "I know," she said. All they could do now was to wait.

* * *

The doctor came to room 342 a little while later. Roger could tell right away by the look on his face, that the news was not good. "I'm Doctor Ian Duncan, Mr. Collins' main physician."

"How is he?" Roger asked.

Doctor Duncan closed his eyes and then he looked at them, after he'd sighed. "It's not good," he said. "He came into the clinic a while ago with a cold, and his t-cells were already lower. Now they're really low. His cold has turned into advanced PCP quicker than we expected. He probably will not make it to the end of the week. I'm so sorry."

Roger swallowed, feeling bands of grief pressing against his chest. He put an arm around Eve and held her close, as she, Angel, Maureen, and Joanne broke down into tears.

Eve looked at the big frail man on the bed, lying still. But she saw he was breathing, so she knew he was still alive. "This isn't right," she said quietly, clenching her fists angrily. "It's not fair!"

"I know, Baby," Roger said, as she leaned against him. Dylan came over and tugged on Roger's pant leg. Roger picked him up. "It's not fair at all. But he's been sick for a while. This time, it seems like it was just too long. He was always strong, but I think that was, you know, on the outside…"

"Don't say that," Eve said, squeezing her eyes shut. "He was always there for every one of us. For you, when you went through your withdrawal and April's death, and then Mimi's death… for Mark, when he was getting beat up in that park… for Angel, when she was dying in the hospital…"

"I know, Baby," Roger said again. "It kills me to see him like this, too."

"He was always the strong one," Eve said, trying to remain calm, though tears were falling endlessly. "He can't leave us… not here, not now!"

"He might not have a choice, Baby," Roger said. "It might be his time to join Angel and Mimi… and we can't stop him if it is."

Eve didn't try to stop the tears and she choked up, sobbing into Roger's chest. Angel only watched nervously; she'd never seen her mother fall apart like this. "I know," she said, "but it just hurts so bad to see him like that… he was always there for me, when I was frustrated or lost… he gave me advice. And Angel is close to him, too."

When Eve looked up, she saw Roger had a slight smile on his face. "What?" she asked.

"I was just thinking," Roger said thoughtfully. "Angel told me the other day that she asked him if he'd ever considered becoming straight again, the day you told the Bohemians and the kids that you had HIV."

Eve's mouth fell open, but she laughed quietly nevertheless. "Angel Camille Davis," she said sternly, "did you really?"

"Yeah, Mom, I did," she said, shrugging. "He knew I meant nothing by it. He said that he had considered it, too, but that Angel up there would kick his ass if he did. It was pretty funny. It made me feel better when I was upset about your AIDS."

Eve smiled. "Yeah, I think we've all wondered that at one point or another," she said. "I'm glad you two are so close."

"Me, too," Angel said. "He was basically my second dad, Uncle Marky coming in at a close third."

Angel looked up at Mark, to see if he'd react to what she'd just said. Mark nodded understandingly. "It's OK, Angel," he said. "I understand. No matter what rank we are, we all love you." He smiled grimly.

Everyone looked up as they heard a small groan come from Collins, and he stirred. Eve and Angel went over to him and each took one of his hands. "Uncle Collins?" Angel said to him.

Collins' eyes fluttered open, and he looked around, slightly confused. "Collins, it's Eve," Eve said to him. "Don't panic, all right? You're OK. You're in a hospital, Bellevue Medical Center."

"Eve…" Collins said, his voice barely audible. "Who else is here?"

"We're all here. Mo, Jo, Mark, Roger, Angel, Leo, Dylan, and me," Eve said, rubbing his hand with her thumb. "How are you feeling?"

"Very, very tired," he answered honestly. "But I'm breathing easier now."

Eve nodded and smiled grimly. "That's so good," she said. "I was really scared for you, you know."

Collins nodded slowly. "I know," he said, and he hacked horribly for a moment. "I'm sorry, Baby girl. I should have told you guys I was sick."

"No, Collins, it's OK," she said. "But I wish I could help you."

"I know, Baby girl," Collins said, and he turned to face Angel. "Hi, Baby girl," he added to her. Angel smiled at him.

"Hi, Uncle Collins," she said. "I'm so sorry you're sick. I wish there was something we could do for you, too."

"Yeah," Collins said, "but there's not, Baby girl, so you just hang in there, all right?" Angel nodded and smiled sadly, tears shining on her face. A moment later, Collins did as well. "You look more like your mother every day. I'll miss you guys."

Angel watched Collins relax and his breathing slowed. She began to choke up and she clutched his hand harder. "Uncle Collins…" she sobbed. "No… please… don't leave us… We need you here…"

Collins looked at her and said, "Baby girl, it's my time to go…" he whispered, looking up distantly at the ceiling. "Angel and Mimi are calling me… They're saying it's time for me to come home…"

Collins closed his eyes, as Angel watched in horror, and a moment later, he slipped away peacefully. Angel cried harder and Roger and Eve gently pulled her away.

"Angel, Baby," Eve whispered, "he's in a better place, away from all the pain." There were tears in her eyes as well. But Angel wrenched away from her mother and father's grasp and slammed her hands into the wall.

"Damn it, Uncle Collins! Don't you DARE give up on us now!" she yelled. "You can't! You just can't! You never would before! Don't start now!"

Despite her mother and father's comforting grip on her, as well as Maureen, Joanne, and Mark's, Angel could not be comforted. She yelled and screamed and cried, but nothing could bring Collins back. She wasn't sure who said it, but the next thing she heard tore her heart apart.

"There's nothing more we can do for him, Angel. He's gone."

* * *

Please review. It was really difficult for me to write this chapter. I hated killing Collins. I was crying as I wrote this chapter. But he had to die sometime, right? Please review, I need reviews to survive.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	27. Chapter 27

In case of confusion, this chapter begins at the end of Angel's freshman year of high school, and then jumps to her graduation. Hope that helps. Sorry, Rosablasifann08, another tearjerker. Enjoy.

**Chapter 27**

* * *

A couple weeks later, Eve came into Angel's room to wake her up, so she could get ready for school. She hadn't done much besides sleep the past several days, and Eve was worried. Angel was completely depressed. The loss of Collins seemed to have hit her hardest of all.

They'd all known Collins was going to die someday, but maybe it was because they were used to their family dying, with Mimi and Angel's deaths, that they were OK with it by now. Angel just wasn't, and seeing her uncle die in the hospital had been terrifying for her. It had changed her completely.

"Angel, Baby," Eve said, "wake up. You gotta go to school. You've got final exams this week."

"I don't want to, Mom," Angel said, flailing her arm out to make her mom back away. "I don't want to go anywhere."

"Baby," Eve said, sitting down on the bed, "I know you're missing Collins. We all are. But you have to move on."

Angel sat up. "How can I move on, Mom?" she asked. "He was so good to me those last few weeks before he died. It was like he knew he was going to die, so he lived his life to the fullest, like we're supposed to. But it hurts so bad that he's gone. I know you guys are used to the family dying because of AIDS, but I'm not, especially since I have it, and I'm terrified of dying like that. And it doesn't help that I keep seeing that day in my dreams, so I can hardly sleep anymore. I've been seeing that counselor you made me go to, but she's so stupid. They only say what they're required to say, like, 'And, how do you feel about that?' I mean, come on." Angel scowled.

"I'm sorry, Ang," Eve said. "I should have been there more for you."

"It's OK, Mom," Angel said, shrugging. "You're doing your best. That's all you can do."

Eve smiled. "Are you gonna be OK?"

"Eventually, I'll be fine, yeah. Thanks, though."

Eve nodded and left.

* * *

Later that evening, Roger came into their bedroom and found Eve sitting on their bed, crying. "Baby, are you OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right," she said, wiping her eyes. "I was just thinking about Collins… about the day he died."

Roger sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "I miss him, too," he said.

"No, it's not that," Eve said. She frowned slightly, thinking. "It's just, I'm thinking about what you told me while he was dying."

"What did I say?"

Eve looked up at him. "You said that everything would be OK. But everything's not OK, Roger. Collins is dead and Angel is a wreck. She can't concentrate in school anymore, even though she's almost out for the summer. I've asked her to see a counselor, and she is, but that isn't helping her deal with her loss. I know Leo understands that Collins is gone, but he's not taking it nearly as hard as she is. I never thought she _would _take it that hard, even though I knew they were close. I don't know what to do. I'm so lost."

She leaned against his chest and he stroked her hair. "Oh, Baby," he said, "I'm so sorry. I really did want things to be OK. I knew he wasn't going to make it, but I was trying to be strong for you girls and the boys. I'm sorry if it seemed like I lied to you, because I really didn't."

Eve swallowed, but didn't speak. Roger lifted her onto the bed and he lay next to her. He put his arm around her and stayed with her, as she cried.

"I love you, Eve," Roger said. "I'm always here for you, you know."

Eve sniffled. "I know," she said. "Thank you, Roger. I love you, too."

* * *

"Honors, Angel Davis."

Angel looked up from fiddling nervously with her sash, when she heard the principal call her name. She felt someone nudge her from behind, and somehow her feet started to work, and she walked across the stage to the principal to receive her diploma. She took her diploma and shook his hand, and went to join her friends. Kalli Cahill, her best friend, gave her a look.

"What?" Angel asked, reading her friend's expression perfectly. She grinned.

"Your tassel, weirdo," Kalli said, as she tossed her long, curly blonde hair, and she pulled it to the proper side as Angel blushed and chuckled.

"Oh yeah," she said, trying to feign innocence, "I forgot."

"As usual," Kalli said, grinning, and flashing her huge blue eyes at Angel.

Angel met her parents, brothers, and the Bohemians at the end of the ceremony, and she was engulfed in hugs. But there was one hug she missed. Eve noticed her daughter's sad look on her face, and she touched her arm with concern.

"Angel, are you OK?"

Angel looked up. "Oh… yeah, Mom, I'm OK," she said.

"Are you sure?" Eve asked.

"Yes, Mom," Angel insisted, and they went home.

* * *

Eve went up to Angel's room, and found her sitting on her bed, tears shining on her face. Eve frowned slightly, concerned, and went over to her. Angel sighed, and Eve noticed the picture of her and Collins in her hand.

"I missed him a lot today," she said quietly.

"I know," Eve said. "But he was there. He saw you graduate. I love you," she said, grasping Angel by the shoulders, "and he loved you, too. We all do, very much. You won't disappoint him." Eve stood up and went to the door. "Come downstairs when you're ready to celebrate. We'll be waiting."

Angel smiled and nodded, as Eve left her to her own thoughts.

* * *

OK, after the previous couple of very dramatic chapters, I'm at a complete loss, as to what to do from here. Is it just gonna go downhill from here? I have a couple of ideas for the few final chapters, but I have to get there first, LOL, so be prepared for some pure fluff. Please send on any ideas you readers have, for what I should do next, and continue to review, so I have the heart to finish, LOL. Thanks.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	28. Chapter 28

I know it is pure fluff and short, but I'm out of ideas. Sorry. I'm trying to bring this story to an end, and I've also run into a wall with Crash. I hope to finish that story soon, too.

Thanks to Rosablasifann08 for giving me this idea. I hope you can come up with more in the future, or else I'm done for, LOL. Also, congratulations on being my 50th review. That makes me happier than you know, and our friendship is invaluable to me (Renthead621, too, of course.) Thank you so much, I appreciate the support and dedication. We Rentheads have to stick together! You'll see Life Support references in the dialogue, too.

**Chapter 28**

* * *

"Mom, I'm going to Life Support!" Angel yelled up the stairs.

"OK, honey," Eve said, coming into view. "Do you want your dad or I to come with you, since it's your first time?"

"No thanks, Mom," Angel said. "I think I can find it on my own. Thanks, though. I'll be back later. I have my cell."

"OK, honey," Eve said, waving at her. "Bye."

But before Angel could step out the door, her little brother, Dylan, now six and in kindergarten, came bounding down the stairs. "Wait!" he said. "Hug first!"

Angel grinned and scooped him into her arms. She spun him around in a circle, the way he always liked to be hugged, until they were both dizzy, and then she set him down. "You'll be asleep by the time I get home, Dylan," she said. "So I'll just see you in the morning, OK?"

"OK," said Dylan, and he waved and went back upstairs. Angel smiled at her mom one last time and left.

Angel arrived at the Life Support building and went in. She wasn't sure where to go, so she took a wild guess and took the first right she could. Walking down the hall, she heard voices, and she looked in. She blushed when she realized the people in the room had seen her looking.

"Sorry," she said, walking in. "Excuse me. Oops. I'm a little lost. Is this the room where Life Support is being held?"

"Yes," said the person whom Angel assumed to be the leader. "I'm Paul. Please sit down. And you are?"

"I'm Angel," she said. She saw recognition flare in a few of the members' eyes.

"As in—" one began.

"Are you named after our former member, Angel?" another asked.

Angel was surprised. "No, I'm not," she said. "But that's my aunt. I'm Angel Davis."

"Tell us about yourself, Angel," Paul said. "Then we can continue the meeting."

Angel thought about it for a moment. "Well, I'm 18," she said. "I just recently graduated, and I'm going to NYU in the fall. I live with my dad, Roger, my mom, Eve, and my two little brothers, Leo and Dylan. I'm adopted and I'm HIV-positive. My dad's HIV-positive, too, and we found out three years ago that my mom contracted it from him."

The members' faces fell. "I'm sorry to hear that," Paul said.

Angel shrugged. "It actually brought us closer together," she said, "because when I was upset by that, I talked to my uncle, Collins, who was also a member here. He helped me through my frustration for a long time. And then he died when I was 15."

This time, the members didn't say anything. Angel took a moment to take a deep breath and continue her story.

"I'm basically just living my life while I can," she said. "I don't see what else I could do. But my goal is to live at least another 40 years, because my dad has lived for over 30 years with it. My mom is determined to do the same.

"I'm really close to my family, but I was closest to my dad and uncle, Collins, especially in the past couple of years. I watched my uncle die in the hospital, and it was terrifying. So I recently thought I should come here, to see if it would help me to talk to other HIV and AIDS victims, since seeing my counselor and talking to my friends and parents wasn't helping."

Paul nodded. "Do you have anything more to say?" he asked. "That is a very good story."

Angel shook her head. "No," she said, "I don't."

"OK, then we'll continue our meeting," Paul said. Angel nodded.

Angel returned home a few hours later, but she was tired, so she went up to her room and collapsed onto her bed. She heard her parents come into her room and pull the covers over her body. She felt her dad kiss her on the top of her head, and then she fell asleep. No nightmares plagued her sleep on this night, and when she woke up the next morning, she realized that attending Life Support, and getting her feelings out, had really helped her move on, even if it was just beginning and would take a long time. It had already taken three years of her life to even start over.

Angel sent a silent message to her Uncle Collins in Heaven, thanking him for giving her courage, and then she woke up to a fresh new day.

* * *

Honestly, this has to be my least favorite chapter of them all. I hate it, seriously. Please review to let me know what you thought about this pure fluff. I'm pretty sure opinions will be unanimous that it was bad, because... it was. And I just realized that I left Roger out completely, LOL. Oh well, he'll reappear, I promise.

As I wrote this, I was listening to Love Heals for the first time since I borrowed the soundtrack from my friend, Jake, in order to burn it and sync it to my MP3 player. All I can say is, I can't believe I didn't listen to that song sooner! It's absolutely one of my favorites, and I've only listened to it once or twice. It's the only song that the cast doesn't oversing at all on, it's amazing.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	29. Chapter 29

This isn't the final chapter, but the idea came to me in the past couple of days. Sorry my last update was horrible. I know it was, but please forgive me for some pure fluff every now and then. I haven't slept very well the past few days, due to a death in the family, and I'm sick on top of it all. Everything seems to be coming crashing down on me right now, and without my friends, online and in real life, I don't know what I'd do. Thank you all so much for supporting me while I wrote this story. It's been fun.

Here's the next chapter, of which the title belongs to Jonathan Larson only. Be sure to review. Sorry, Rosablasifann08, another tearjerker. But hopefully, this will make up for the dismal chapter 28.

**Chapter 29**

* * *

Dylan came home from school one morning to his father sleeping on the couch. He watched Roger's chest rise and fall slowly, and he frowned slightly as Roger awoke with a coughing fit. Roger opened his eyes and smiled at his youngest son.

"Oh. Hey, baby boy," he said quietly. "Did you just get home from school?"

"Yeah," Dylan said, as Roger sat up and drew in a ragged breath and coughed. "Are you OK, Dad? You've been coughing a lot lately."

"Yeah, buddy, I'm fine," Roger said, putting a hand to his chest. "I've just got a little cold, that's all. I'll be fine, really." He smiled at Dylan, but then coughed again.

Dylan went into the kitchen, where Eve was in the middle of making him a snack. "Hi, Mom," he said.

"Hey, baby boy," Eve said. "How was school today?"

"It was OK," Dylan said, as Eve gave him the sandwich. "Mom, when is Dad gonna slow down? He's lying about being sick, and I know it. I may be only 13, but I'm not stupid."

Eve leaned her elbows on the island and looked into the bright green eyes of her youngest son, the eyes of which were also vivid in Leo's face. "Baby boy," she said, sighing, "your father is not going to slow down until he can't walk anymore. He hates the idea of being sick, because he doesn't want to leave you or your brother, or Angel, sooner than he has to. Neither do I," she said, "but when our time comes, we won't have a choice. You know that won't, and doesn't, change how much we love you, right?"

Dylan nodded. "Right," he said, smiling at his mother.

* * *

"Baby, I have to go," Roger said, looking pleadingly at his wife. "If I'm late for rehearsal again, Jonathan's gonna kill me." Roger turned away from Eve as he coughed.

"Baby, you're running a fever," Eve said, putting her hand on his forehead. "You need to lie down. You're not going anywhere, and you're especially not driving, if I have my way."

Roger rolled his Kryptonite-green eyes. "OK, all right, I'll go," he said. "But you'd better vouch for me." He coughed again as he ended this sentence.

"I will." She pointed to the living room. "Now go," she said sternly.

Roger nodded and he turned and went and lay down on the couch reluctantly. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. He flipped through the channels and found a fighting show that he enjoyed watching. Eve came into the living room with a bowl of chicken soup, ibuprofen, and two wet washcloths. Roger flinched when she put one on his forehead.

"That's cold, Eve," he whined.

Eve scowled and she wrapped one around the base of his neck. "That's because you're burning up, Rog," she said. "Now lie down and eat your soup. If I catch you up…" she added, slightly threateningly.

Eve looked at the TV. "I hate that show you watch," she said pointedly.

"Either I get to watch it, or I get to walk around," Roger said, raising a brow. He grinned evilly and he feigned trying to get up. Eve simply pushed him back down. He grunted and chuckled.

"All right, all right, I'll stay," he said. "Fighting, it is."

* * *

Leo came up beside Eve later that evening, where she was watching Roger sleep. "How's Dad?" he asked.

"He's got a fever," Eve said, "and he's got a cold. And you know… I keep thinking back to when Collins died in the hospital, from advanced PCP. We'd all thought it was just a cold…"

"Are you afraid he's going to die?" Leo asked, looking at her with concern. "I am, but…" His voice trailed off.

Eve sighed. "I don't want to scare you or the other two, Leo, but… I think I am," she said honestly, "at least a little. I'm not ready to let him go yet, and if I'm forced to… well, I'm sure I'll be a mess."

"You know he's not gonna go to the hospital by his own will," Leo said seriously.

"I know," Eve said. "But maybe I have to take him there, dragging his heels. Maybe I shouldn't, and he should just spend every last minute he can at home. That seems like the best option."

"That's up to him to decide, though," Leo said.

Eve looked up at her eldest son, who was already six inches taller than her, and still growing. "You're pretty wise for 17 years old," she said, nudging him fondly. "What are they teaching you in school these days?"

Leo shrugged. "Algebra, Chemistry, and literature about sum it up," he said, smiling down at her. "Don't change the subject, though. Do you think Dad's being selfish by not going to the hospital?"

"I don't know," Eve said. "I mean, I know he doesn't want to leave you boys and Angel. I don't, either, but we may not have a choice someday. That's how this goes, and you know it. That's why we've been, you know, trying to prepare you guys. It's lucky for us that Angel is going to college close to home. It makes it easier. I don't want her or you boys to feel that we're a burden on you, though, because we don't need you to take care of us. That's our job, to take care of you."

Leo smiled and Eve saw the spitting image of Roger when he was younger. "I know, Mom," he said. "But you and Dad are each others' lives, you always were. I've seen the way you were on Uncle Mark's documentary; it's amazing, it's so rare."

Eve heard Roger coughing in the living room, and she went in to check on him. "Rog, are you OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, Baby, I'm fine," Roger said, and he sat up. "Don't worry."

Eve glanced at Leo and they went back into the kitchen. Leo could tell she was worried to death, but she wouldn't say it.

* * *

"Eve," Roger said, later that night, in between coughs. He was still in the living room; Eve didn't want to move him, or it caused him pain from coughing attacks. "I'm sorry I made you sick."

"Roger, stop it," Eve said firmly, from where she was standing next to him. She wrapped a blanket around him, trying to keep him warm. "From the moment we crashed into each other at the supermarket, all you have done was you loved me. I didn't deserve that."

"Yes, you did," Roger said, smiling up at her and coughing again, as he shivered uncontrollably. "I was the one that didn't deserve you."

"Roger, I said stop it," Eve said, tears forming in her eyes. "So what if I contracted HIV from you? I knew the risks of being with you when I first met you, and I wasn't scared of you then. I'm not now… at least, not really."

"You're scared of me, Baby?" Roger asked, looking up at her.

"No, I don't mean it that way," Eve said, as tears formed and fell slowly down her cheeks. She kneeled down next to him. "I'm scared of you dying, Baby. Right here, right now. I'm not ready."

"I know," Roger said, "I'm not, either. I love you, Eve."

"Don't," Eve said sternly, "don't, Roger; don't start saying your goodbyes. You're not gonna die right here. You're gonna go on and you're gonna live and we're gonna die old together."

"Eve, I'm 56 years old," Roger said, smiling wearily at her. "I'm already old. I'm tired and I'm broken." He coughed for a moment. "I don't have any more time." He looked around. "Where are the boys and Angel?"

"Angel's at a party and the boys are making supper in the kitchen. Why?"

"I want to see them."

"Not now," Eve said. "You're not gonna die now, Roger."

"Eve, stop denying it," Roger said, as firmly as he could. "Call Angel and tell her to come home. I want to see her one last time."

"No, Roger. Don't you dare leave me now! Not today."

"I can't help it, Baby. I just can't. Eve, I love you. You've given me the most amazing life I never thought I'd have. We've had 30 years together, Baby."

"30 wonderful years," Eve agreed tearfully.

"I need to see the kids, Baby. He's calling me. He's telling me to come home."

Eve remembered those exact words that Collins had spoken eight years ago, when he had been dying in the hospital. "Who," she asked him, "Collins?"

"Yeah, Baby," Roger said. Her eyes widened. "Please, get the kids," he begged, tears in his eyes. "I need to see them. I really do."

"Not yet, Roger," Eve begged, laying her head on his chest. "Tell him no, not yet. Tell him you have to stay. Tell him you _want _to stay."

"I'm sorry, Eve, Baby," Roger said, looking into her eyes. "I'll tell Angel and Mimi and Collins that you say hi, OK?"

"No, Roger," she said, changing her mind. "Please, at least wait until the kids get here…"

Roger swallowed and Eve turned around, not letting go of his hand. "Leo, Dylan," she called loudly, "come here, please." They came into the living room and looks of horror came over their faces.

"Dad," they said together, and they looked at each other and kneeled down next to him.

"Are you in any pain?" Leo asked.

"No, buddy," he said, "I'm not. I'm with my family; my Baby, my boys, and soon, my princess. I'm good. Eve, call Angel."

Eve quickly made the phone call. "Angel, it's Mom… You need to come home… It's your dad… OK, bye." She hung up the phone, not having to ask twice. "She's on her way. Hang in there, Roger, OK?"

Roger nodded slowly. "I am," he said, "I'm gonna see my princess first."

Angel came running into the room about five minutes later. "Jesus, Angel," Dylan said. "How many speed limits did you break?"

"Shut up," Angel said, and she knelt down next to her father as well. "I wasn't far away. Dad, I'm here," she said, turning to him and taking his other hand. "I'm here. It's OK now."

"Hi, princess," he said. "I'm glad you're here."

Angel sobbed and started to cry. "Me, too, Dad," she said, "but must you really go? I don't want you to. We're not ready for you to leave."

"Me neither, princess," Roger said, "but I have to. Collins is calling me."

Angel nodded and she swallowed nervously. "Tell him his favorite niece says hi," she said. "I love you, Dad. It's all OK now. You can let go now."

"I love you, too, princess. I love you, boys." They nodded, lost for words. "And I love you, Baby, so much," Roger said to Eve, putting his hand on her face.

Roger looked at his family one last time and he inhaled a deep breath. Then he smiled and closed his eyes.

"Roger," Eve said, shaking his hand, tears falling down her face, as she sobbed. "Roger!"

Eve felt Angel and the boys wrap their arms around her, but it wasn't the same as her lover's grasp. She gently set Roger's limp hand down on the bed, and when she didn't get a response, she knew he was gone.

"I love you, Roger," she whispered, leaning over to kiss his lips one last time. Then she laid her head, and each of her kids put a hand, on his chest. And with Angel, Leo, and Dylan by her side, they cried together.

* * *

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	30. Chapter 30

This chapter is inspired from a real-life experience that happened to me this summer. Luckily for me, though, alcohol was not involved. But sleeping pills, overdose, anxiety, insomnia, and depression were. But besides that, please read, and don't forget to review.

**Chapter 30**

* * *

Angel came into Eve's bedroom a few days later, where her mom had barricaded herself in since Roger's death, and she immediately noticed several things that greatly alarmed her. Three of her father's old beer cans were sitting on Eve's nightstand, Angel caught a whiff of alcohol, and Eve was sprawled on her bed, moaning and moving slowly.

Angel bolted over to the bed and shook her mother roughly by the shoulders. She was pale and slightly cold. "Mom," she said, shaking her mother again. "Mom!" she repeated, louder. "Mom, wake up!"

Tears of panic sprang to her eyes and she shook Eve harder. This time, Eve awoke and stirred. "Mm… Angel, is that you?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Mom, it's me," Angel said. "Mom, what's the matter with you?" Angel shook the three cans on the nightstand. "Empty…" she said, horrified. "Mom, are you drunk?"

"Maybe, Baby, why?" Eve asked, staring up distantly at the ceiling.

"Mom, you know you can't handle more than one beer a day. Why are you doing this?"

"Roger!" Eve yelled drunkenly, flailing her arm around. Angel backed away, realizing what was going on. Her mother was drowning her pain about Roger's death in alcohol, something she'd never done before in her life.

Angel ran out to the hallway and leaned over the banister. "Leo, get up here now!" she yelled. A moment later, her younger brother came running up the stairs. "Stay with Mom. I need to call 911."

"What's wrong with her?" Leo asked, going into Eve's bedroom. Eve had collapsed back onto the bed. "She's unconscious, Angel!"

Angel picked up the cordless and ran back into the bedroom. "Is she breathing? Turn her on her side, in case she starts throwing up, Leo."

"Yeah," Leo said, leaning his head down toward her mouth as he turned Eve on her side. "Yeah, she's breathing, but not very often. Maybe every ten seconds. Has she been drinking?"

"Yes," Angel said quickly, as she put the cordless to her ear. "I'm calling 911. I'm afraid it's alcohol poisoning. You know how much of a lightweight she is." She turned her attention entirely to the phone a second later. "Yes, I have someone passed out from alcohol… Yes, she's breathing, but irregularly… She's my mother… Yes, that's the correct address… OK, thank you." She looked at Leo. "Go get Dylan. You're going to have to meet us at Bellevue. I'm going with Mom."

"OK," said Leo, nodding. "How can you be so calm about all this?"

"Because I know it was an accident," Angel said. "She's very lost and confused about Dad's death. Before he died, she never drank. She'd been sober since she met him. She's scared and hiding her pain by doing this. How has she been sleeping lately?"

"Hardly," Leo said, as he went downstairs.

"My point exactly," Angel said.

The EMT's came into the room with a stretcher and lifted Eve onto it. They restrained her with straps, and played an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, and Angel put a hand to her mouth, starting to panic.

"Are you her children?" the EMT asked.

"Yes," said Angel. "My brothers are downstairs."

"Can one of you come with us?" the EMT asked. "Where's your dad?"

"Our father is dead," Angel said, as they went downstairs. Angel put a hand on both Leo and Dylan's shoulders. "He died from AIDS four days ago. She's HIV-positive, too."

"OK," said the EMT. "Has she ever done something like this before?" Angel shook her head.

"No, she's been sober for 30 years," Angel said. "I'm sure this was just an accident. Go, Leo," she added. "Meet us at the waiting room, OK? It'll be OK. Go!"

Leo nodded and walked away. Then the EMT's closed the doors and sped off.

* * *

Angel bit her lip with worry, as she waited with Leo and Dylan in the waiting room. She'd called Mark a few minutes ago and told him what had happened. It wasn't more than ten minutes after they arrived, that Mark, Barbara, Adam, Maureen, and Joanne showed up.

"I'm so sorry, Angel," Mark said. "Are you guys OK?"

"We're fine," Angel said. "She recognized us. She didn't do anything to us, luckily. Mark, she's scared, she's confused. She misses Dad so bad. She doesn't know what to do without him. That's why this happened. I'm scared for her, Mark."

"I know. She's having a really tough time dealing with Dad's death. I'm sure this was just an accident."

"Me, too; but why would she choose to drown her pain like this? She's tougher than that, I know she is. She wouldn't do this to us. She needs help, whatever that means, and she isn't getting it. Instead, she's doing the least likely thing the old Mom would do, and she lies around all day, destroying herself. She hasn't eaten much or slept for days, and now this."

"You're right, Angel," Barbara said, "Eve is tougher than that. But she has to make the decision to change herself."

"But what if she dies first?" Angel demanded, losing her patience. "We can't handle another death so soon! It's bad enough that Dylan is barely in high school and Dad is already gone!"

"It'll be OK, Ang," Barbara said, hugging her and the boys tightly. "She'll be all right. She's in good hands."

Angel nodded, as the tears flowed down her cheeks, and she sat down next to Mark to wait.

* * *

"Eve Davis?" a nurse asked, a little while later.

Angel stood up, as well as her brothers and the Bohemians. "That's us," she said, and she went up to the nurse. "Is my mom OK?" she asked.

"This way, please," the nurse said, turning and leading them to a room. Angel, Leo, Dylan, and the Bohemians immediately went in to see her.

"Mom," Dylan said, and he sat down next to her bed and took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Eve said quietly. "Guys, I'm so sorry." She looked at all of them apologetically. "I really am. I didn't mean for that to happen. It was an accident."

"We know, Mom," Angel said, "but why'd it happen? You're _not _suicidal, are you?"

"No," Eve said, "I'm not gonna leave you sooner than I have to."

"Mom, we were afraid you were gonna leave us today," Angel said. "You know you can't handle alcohol! You were sober for 33 years— no, 35 years— until today! Now you have to start all over again!"

"I know, princess, I'm sorry," Eve said, looking pleadingly at her daughter.

"Don't call me that, Mom," Angel snapped. "Only Dad ever called me that. He stayed sober for you the entire time he knew you on this Earth. You've betrayed him, Mom. You've betrayed all of us!"

"Angel," Mark said, pulling her away, "that's enough. Your mom feels bad enough already. You said it was an accident. Don't take it out on her."

"Fine," Angel snapped, and she walked to the door. "I'll be back later. I need to go for a walk."

Eve nodded. She could see her daughter could not be persuaded. Angel took one last look at her, and then she left.

* * *

Eve was released two weeks later after getting some good rest and getting her anxiety and anti-depressant medication straightened out. Angel and the boys welcomed her home, but slightly stiffly on Angel's part. Eve hoped her daughter would forgive her about her accident soon, but trust had to come back on Angel's own time. However, they all came together in time to attend Roger's funeral as a family.

"Eve, are you OK?" Mark asked, coming over to hug her at the funeral, as they stood in the entryway.

"No, Mark, I'm not," she said, sighing. "I can't go in there. I can't say goodbye. That would make it real that he's gone. I don't want that."

"Neither do I, Eve," said Mark, "but it is real. He's gone and we have to say goodbye someday. I'm not ready for it, either, but it has to be done. Come on, he looks really good. The staff at the funeral home did a very good job making him look good. They even got his hair so it wouldn't curl." Smiling, Mark grasped her shoulders firmly. "You can do it. I'll go with you."

Eve smiled. "Thanks," Mark," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without you these past few weeks."

Mark smiled and nodded. "I know it's hard," he said, as Angel, Leo, and Dylan came to stand beside them, "but you'll get through it. We're all here for you."

Eve smiled as they went into the church. Together, she and Mark and the kids lifted the casket open and looked down at Roger. Mark was right; he did look very good.

"He looks so peaceful," she said, resting her hand on his. But dry, cold and cracked as it was now, it was the hand that had sustained her for 30 years.

"Yeah, he does," Mark said. "He had a tough life until he met you, what with April and Mimi dying and his withdrawal and all."

Eve nodded, as Leo hugged her. "I know, Mark," she said. "Thank you for always being there for us, especially once I'm gone, too; I know you'll be there for the kids."

Out of the corner of her eye, Eve saw Angel cover her mouth with her hand, as tears sprang to her eyes. Eve turned to her and hugged her close. "Oh, Baby girl," she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Not today. Are you gonna be OK, princess?"

Angel looked up, surprised. Then her face relaxed into a smile. "You haven't called me that in a long time," she said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you the other day, Mom."

Eve smiled. "I know. It's OK. So, can I," she asked, "or is it just a nickname your dad called you?"

"You can," Angel said, smiling. "It helps to hear something from the past, from when things were easier."

"They'll get easier, princess," Eve said. "We just have to try." She looked up at her daughter, who was at least three inches taller than her now, at 23 years of age. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you guys lately. I really messed up the other day."

Angel shook her head. "No," she said, "it's OK. You were scared, Mom. You both lived and breathed for each other. You got to watch Leo and Dylan growing into fine young men…"

"And I know you're going to be a beautiful, smart young woman who won't let herself get taken advantage of," Eve said, putting her hand on her daughter's cheek. "That's all I can ask for."

"I know, Mom," Angel said, as she wiped away a tear that strayed down Eve's cheek. "Don't be afraid to cry. Not all tears are bad."

Eve nodded. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to get all emotional, but…"

"Mom," Angel said firmly, "that's what funerals are for, to mourn."

Eve nodded and they closed the casket and went to their seats, holding hands.

* * *

"That was a beautiful funeral," Mrs. Davis said, wiping her eyes afterward.

"Yes, it was," Eve agreed. "I especially enjoyed listening to the part about Roger's life, and how he was a caretaker, a protector, of everyone he met. Are you gonna be OK, Mrs. Davis?"

"Yes, I'll be all right," Mrs. Davis said, as Eve hugged her. "You just never expect, as a parent, to outlive your child, you know? But at least, with Roger, we had time to… you know… prepare."

"It's going to be OK, Mrs. Davis," Eve said, "as long as we stick together and are there for each other."

Mrs. Davis wiped her eyes again. "God bless you, Eve," she said. "Thank you so much for being there for him and everyone else as much as you have. It means more to us than you know."

Eve smiled and went with them to the burial site, where she finally said goodbye to her lover.

* * *

This story will finally wrap up in one to two chapters. Don't forget to review. Thank you so much to all who have reviewed and helped me along, especially Renthead621 and Rosablasifann08. Your friendship is invaluable to me. You have no idea how special it is to me that we are buds. Thank you so much for all you've done.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07


	31. Chapter 31

These next couple of chapters, up to the end, will be divided into several segments, just so you know.

**Chapter 31**

* * *

Later that night, Eve was lying in her bed, looking through pictures. She came across one of her and Roger standing together, from the night at the Cat Scratch Club, when they'd sang to each other and he'd proposed. Eve smiled reminiscently.

Eve looked up when she heard a knock on the door. "Oh, hey, Angel," she said. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Angel said. "Just wondering what you were doing."

"I'm looking at pictures of your dad," Eve answered. "Wanna join me?"

"Sure," Angel said, and she sat on the bed next to her mother. Eve came across a picture of Eve and Roger sitting on a bench together at Tompkins Square, laughing happily. "Mom, tell me again how you two met."

Eve smiled. Angel had heard this story her whole life, but she still enjoyed it, even now that she was grown.

"OK," she said.

_30 years earlier_

_He was out helping Mark buy groceries for the week, when he neglected to watch where he was going, and the result was he crashed headlong into someone. The grocery bags went flying from his hands as he yelped with surprise, and then he heard a girl's voice._

"_Oh, God, I'm sorry. Are you OK?"_

_He looked up and saw the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen, framed by tendrils of red hair._

"_Yeah," he stuttered, "yeah, I'm fine, thanks."_

"_I'll pay for your groceries."_

"_No, it's OK. It's just that, it's normally the guy running into the girl."_

_The girl smiled as she helped Roger pick up his groceries. "Well, welcome to me and my randomly deranged life. Most things that happen to me are not cliché or typical in any way."_

_Roger smiled. "Sounds like fun; must be a better life than mine, anyway."_

"_Well, it can be fun, but it gets scary at times. What's your name?"_

"_Roger Davis."_

"_I'm Evangeline, Evangeline Simmons."_

"_That's a nice name. Can I call you Eve?"_

"_Sure. No one's called me that before, but it sounds nice."_

_Mark, who had his share of groceries in his hand, was watching them from behind Roger. Eve looked up, over Roger's shoulder, and Roger realized Mark was watching them._

"_Well, it was nice to meet you, Eve," he stammered. "But I should go. My roommate's waiting for me." Roger jerked his shaking thumb over his shoulder and Eve waved to Mark._

"_Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking?" Eve asked. "I know that's rather forward of me… but I just thought I'd ask…"_

_Roger gave her his address and she nodded. "I'll stop by later with the check for paying you back," she said._

"_No," said Roger, "really, that's not necessary…"_

_But Eve insisted. "It's fine," she said. "Plus, then I can see you again."_

_Roger smiled. "OK, sounds good." Behind him, Mark shot Eve a surprised look, and she grinned, but Roger didn't see. "Just stop by whenever you want. All my other friends do."_

"_All right, thanks… Roger. See you later, then."_

"_Bye, Eve."_

"At first, Mark was jealous, because he had feelings for me, too," Eve said to Angel. "But eventually, they had a fight, resolved it, and resolved that issue."

"When did you first find out about Dad's HIV?" Angel asked. The two women looked up as there was another knock on the door. Leo and Dylan were standing in the doorway this time.

"We're bored, Mom," Leo said. "Can we join you? We can hear you're telling stories."

"Sure, buddy," Eve said, and Leo and Dylan sat on the bed next to her and Angel. "So I was telling Angel about the first time I found out about your dad's HIV."

_Mark went out into the main living area, where Eve was sitting, and said, "I'm sorry, Eve, but Roger's feeling sick again. He can't see you today."_

_Eve looked slightly hurt this time, though normally, she took these things pretty well. "Do you know why he's getting sick so much lately?"_

"_Although I doubt it, it could be a complication."_

_Eve raised her eyebrows. "A complication?" She stood up. "What's wrong with him?"_

_Mark closed his eyes in frustration. Roger was going to kill him. Roger didn't want Eve to know until he was ready, but now Mark had gone too far. He was in too deep._

"_I'm not sure if I should tell you," Mark said hesitantly, trying to brush it off. But Eve wouldn't let him go without a fight._

"_Mark, tell me. You're Roger's best friend. He can trust you to tell me only what he would want me to know. I can tell he's hiding something from me. At this point, only you can tell me."_

_Mark sighed and sat down next to her. "Eve," he said, "there's no other way to tell you this, except to come right out with it. Roger has AIDS. Eve, he's dying."_

_It only took a few seconds for that to sink into Eve. Tears started to well up in her eyes and they spilled over. "Oh, my God," she stammered. "He is? How come he never told me?"_

"_Well, he loves you a lot, so I'm sure he's ashamed of his disease, and he's scared of dying. It's inevitable, you know?"_

_Eve nodded. "So what else has he not told me?"_

"_A lot about his past, actually." He's gonna kill me, Mark thought nervously, glancing over his shoulder at Roger's closed door. "Like about April and Mimi."_

"_What about them? Please tell me, Mark. I want to know. I won't judge Roger in any way, no matter what you tell me."_

"_I know, kiddo," said Mark. "Well, April was his first real girlfriend. But she was a druggie and hooked on heroin. After he fell in love with her, she hooked him on heroin, too, and then she found out she had AIDS and she killed herself."_

_Eve didn't say anything. She was too stunned._

"_I know; it was really rough for a while. He needed a lot of help after that, especially because he was using a lot. But his friends and I managed to get him to go off the heroin, and he had been clean for a year when he met Mimi."_

"_I'm glad," said Eve. "What else? Roger told me about Mimi a couple days ago."_

"_Well, anyway, after that and Angel's death, Roger sank into a depression. Then, a few weeks before he met you, he OD'd on sleeping pills."_

_Eve's mouth fell open. "Oh my God," she said, "he did?"_

"_Yep, and the bad part about that is he ended up in a hospital. Roger hates hospitals with a vengeance. If we hadn't been there with him, he probably would have thrown a fit and started ripping the monitors off his body or something drastic like that."_

_Eve's eyebrows rose. "That is drastic," she said. "But he's better now?"_

"_Yeah, ever since he met you. You've changed him, Eve, even if you don't know it yet. Without you, he's just the same old Roger, an ex-junkie who's lost in his world of music and disease."_

"_And do you have…?" she asked hesitantly._

"_No, I don't. Collins, Roger, Angel, and Mimi have or had it. The rest of us are negative: me, Benny, Mo, and Jo."_

_Eve nodded. "OK. Thanks, Mark, I'm glad I know now. I wish Roger would have been the one to tell me, though," she added sadly._

"_I'm sure he feels the same way, but he's just having some difficulty coping with liking you, since Mimi's dead, you know? But he'll get past it if you and I both help him."_

_Eve smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure he will. So you and he are done fighting?"_

"_For the most part, I think we are. I'll talk to him. Hey, I was wondering," Mark began, "since you're a photographer, would you like to join me sometime when I go filming somewhere?"_

_Eve grinned. "That would be great," she said. "Just say when."_

"_Is today all right? You're gonna hang around here all day, right?"_

"_I plan to, yes. That sounds good. Before we go, though, I should probably check on Roger."_

_Mark shook his head. "I'm sure he'll be fine," said Mark. "He gets like this a lot."_

_Eve nodded uncertainly. "OK, if you say so."_

_Mark smiled. He quickly and quietly went to Roger's room and one glance told him that Roger was fast asleep again. Mark looked back at Eve and nodded. She grinned and followed him out of the loft._

"Dad really did OD, Mom?" Leo asked. "How come he never told us?"

"Well, I think he just wanted to keep that in his scarred past, Leo," Eve said. "I never bothered him about it, either. Look at where he got to, anyway."

Leo nodded. "You're right, Mom. Go on."

"Anyway, that's where your uncle Mark started showing his feelings for me," Eve said. "That led up to their first fight around me."

"Ooh," Dylan said interestedly, wiggling his eyebrows. "Tell us about that."

Eve swatted him good-naturedly on the arm. "OK," she said, "I will."

"_So where do you want to go?" Mark asked, once they were outside._

"_Anywhere you want, Mark," she said._

"_What about Tompkins Square? It's not far from here, within walking distance. That's a great place to film and take pictures, it's a neat park. You do have your camera this time, right?"_

"_Yep," said Eve, holding it up. "I'm ready when you are."_

_Mark nodded and they began to walk down the street together. As casually as he could, Mark hooked his arm through Eve's, smiling brightly to show her he was just being friendly, and she smiled back, so Mark knew he wasn't taking it too fast._

_They arrived at the park and Eve immediately started taking pictures of the trees and the pond, which was partially melted in the warmer-than-usual March weather. Eve took pictures of families that were there, their kids running around, or them having picnics. She was in her element. To her, it felt surreal, and she wished she could stay there forever._

"_Hey, Mark," she said, wanting to make him slightly uncomfortable, "can I take pictures of you?"_

_As she expected, Mark's eyebrows rose, and she laughed inwardly. "Um, sure," he said hesitantly. "Where do you want me, Eve?"_

"_How about you sit on that bench there?" Eve suggested. Going to the pack she had brought, she took out her tripod and assembled it._

"_OK. Do you really want me sitting, though? That's so… boring."_

_Eve grinned and then she laughed. "All right, you do what you want. Just make it look good."_

_Mark smirked and then he lay across the bench playfully. Eve grinned again. He looked pretty sexy. "Smile," said Eve, and she snapped a shot of him. "OK, now up on one elbow." He did so and she took another picture. Then she got an idea. "Will you take a few of me now?"_

"_Sure," said Mark. "Is it ready to go? It's a digital, right?"_

"_Yep, just press the button and it should work."_

_Eve went over to the bench and she laid on it, putting her head on her crossed arms. Mark snapped a picture. Then she laid on her back, with her hands behind her head, and Mark took another picture._

"_OK, last picture," said Mark, "and then we'll take some of both of us. Try messing up your hair and holding it in your hands. That should look great."_

_Eve smirked. She knew she was turning Mark on without even meaning to. But she did as he asked and he took the picture. Then she let her hair down and he came over and sat by her. She got up and positioned the camera properly on the tripod and set the timer. She ran over and sat by Mark and looked into his eyes, grinning, and the camera took a picture of them._

"_So tell me what brought you to the city, Eve," Mark said._

"_Well… it's complicated," she said hesitantly._

"_It is?"_

"_Yes… I used to live in Philadelphia. But I moved out after I graduated, in order to pursue a career in photography. It's my element, practically my essence."_

_Mark smiled. "It's so good to have a passion."_

"_Mine's more like an obsession. I knew East Village had some good places to take pictures, so I came here. And, well, I'm actually kind of running from my past."_

_Mark's eyebrows rose, though he was concerned. "What do you mean?" he asked._

"_I have a history in Philadelphia— not a criminal history or anything, but nothing good— and I wanted to get away from it and start fresh."_

"_Do you mind if I ask what you mean?"_

"_I was raped in Philly when I was 15. I had a kid when I was 16 from the bastard. But it's mostly my fault. I was at a party I shouldn't have been at, I was drunk… and, well, you can guess the rest."_

_Mark put his arms around Eve in a hug. "My God, Eve," he said in awe, "I'm so sad for you. Did you know the bastard?"_

"_Worse. I worked with him."_

_Mark closed his eyes. "Did he ever get convicted?"_

"_No. He committed suicide six months after that. He knew about it, too; I think that's why he did it. He could tell, after a while, that he'd gotten me pregnant. I had to buy all new clothes for myself. I lost all my friends._

"_The day I went into labor, I told my parents that I was going to go volunteer at the hospital, when I really was— well, you know. I gave my baby up for adoption at birth, a little girl named Dakota Madeline Simmons. She's all I thought about until I moved here. She'd be almost three now." Tears formed in Eve's eyes and she sobbed in Mark's gentle grasp._

_Mark held Eve tighter. "I'm sorry," he said._

"_Why are you sorry? It wasn't your doing."_

"_Yes, I know. You're OK now, though?"_

"_Oh yes. Being in East Village, a new place full of creation and new people, and being with you guys, has helped me a lot. I appreciate it more than you know. That's also why I told Roger I've never had more than one drink in my entire life— because that's what got me into trouble. And I can't exactly hold my liquor, anyway."_

_Mark smiled. "So what's the reason you came to the city, Mark?" Eve asked him, not attempting to release herself from his embrace at all. It felt good to be wanted and loved, even if it was with someone other than Roger._

"_I grew up in Scarsdale, and I came here hoping to make a movie. As you can see, it did happen. I was lucky. This show called _Buzzline_ bought all my footage of a protest Maureen held last year, which turned into a riot that landed several people behind bars for a few hours. But it was just what our stupid landlord, Benny, wanted. You haven't met him."_

_Eve smirked. "Sounds like fun."_

"_Well, it paid the bills, anyway, and none of us were arrested. Weird, isn't it? Other than that, there's nothing much else interesting about me. What do you say we keep experimenting with that camera of yours?"_

"_I think we should probably go back," said Eve, "in case Roger wakes up and finds we're both not there."_

"_OK, we'll go back," said Mark, and they walked back to the loft together._

"So you can see why Mark is so glad to have Barbara," Eve said. "Before her, he really struggled with women." Angel and the boys grinned.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

* * *

"What story do you want next?" she asked.

"Tell us about the first time Dad told you he loved you," Dylan suggested. Eve nodded and began.

_Eve and Mark walked into the loft together, arms linked. Roger smiled as he saw them walk in._

_"Hey, guys," he said, "how was taking photos?"_

_"Great," said Eve. "Do you want to review them with us?"_

_"Sure," said Roger, and he plopped down on the couch next to them to review the photos._

_Later, Eve went over to her desk and opened her journal. She scanned the old entries, immature and ridiculous. She hadn't written in it since about tenth grade, but tonight seemed like a good night to start again. So she picked up her pen and began to write._

___Things are more different for me than they've ever been. I'm in a relationship with a wonderful man and he has amazing friends. I'm trying not to think about that, at any time, it could all be taken away from me, over at any second. I don't want to be hurt again._

_She started when there was a knock at the door. She wiped her eyes and looked up at the door. "Eve. Eve, are you in there? Open up, Baby, please," the voice called out pleadingly. It was Roger's. Eve put her notebook down and answered the door._

"_Roger, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking up at him. He could tell she had been crying more._

"_Eve, __I love you. I can't let you walk out of my life. This is the first time I feel alive since..." he started, until he realized what he was saying. He pulled her close to him._

"_Since Mimi?" she asked, turning to look at him._

"_Yeah, since Mimi," he said, looking down at her._

"_Roger, I love you too," she whispered, as she held his arm. He reached out and pulled her towards him. He leaned down and kissed her. He had kissed her before, but this time it was different. It was tender and passionate at the same time._

_After they broke apart, Roger asked, "Do you want to go back to the loft? Mark will be there, and Collins, Mo, and Jo might also be hanging around and wondering where you and I are at."_

_Eve nodded. "All right," she said, "let's go find them."_

_Roger held out his hand to her, smiling. She took it, and they walked back up to the loft together._

"What story next?" Eve asked. "Now that you've heard that part, I can only imagine what you guys want next."

"Then I met the Bohemians and became good friends with them, especially Joanne and Collins."

"Tell us about when he proposed to you, Mom," Leo said, as they came to the picture of Eve and Roger singing together at the Cat Scratch Club.

"OK," said Eve. "Personally, that's my favorite story. That's also the night he vowed to sober up for me. He made me feel like the greatest woman in the world, all in one night, and many after."

_29 years earlier_

_Roger pulled Eve onto the dance floor and they danced close. Roger wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned her head to his chest, as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair._

"_Roger," she whispered, "I can feel your heart beating."_

_Roger smiled and held her tighter. "Long and strong for you, Eve," he said._

"_I love you, Roger."_

"_I love you, too, Eve." He kissed the top of her head, caressing her cheek._

_The song ended and they left the dance floor to join their cheering friends, holding hands. Eve was feeling elated and she didn't want to ever let Roger go. She knew he felt the same way; that they were meant to be together._

"_Roger," she said, "can we do karaoke here? I want to sing you something."_

_Roger looked pleasantly surprised, as he pulled her close to him. "Really? That's sweet of you, Eve, darling. What are you going to sing?"_

"_It's a surprise," she said mischievously, and after she gave his hand a squeeze, she went up to the band and asked them to play a song, but Roger couldn't hear what it was._

_Collins staggered over to Roger, grinning like a maniac. "What's Baby girl doing?" he asked._

"_She's gonna sing something," said Roger._

"_Ooh, that's awesome. Did she tell you what?"_

"_No, she said it's a surprise."_

"_That's even better!"_

_Roger smiled. "I know. Then I have a surprise for her, too."_

"_Oh? What?"_

"_I'm not gonna tell you! You'll know soon enough!"_

_Collins grinned, figuring he knew what was coming._

_Eve went up on stage and took the microphone off of one of the stands. "Ladies and gentlemen, this song, When You Say Nothing At All, by Alison Krauss, is dedicated to the love of my life, Roger Davis. I love you, Roger."_

"_I love you, too, Baby," he called back._

_She gave the band their cue to start, and then she opened her mouth to sing. Upon hearing the first notes, Roger couldn't believe he'd never truly heard her sing before. It was a beautiful sound. She had vibrato in just the right places and she hit all the notes perfectly._

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart  
__Without saying a word, you can light up the dark  
__Try as I may, I can never explain  
__What I hear when you don't say a thing_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me  
__It's the truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me  
__The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, if ever I fall  
__You say it best when you say nothing at all_

_When she finished, Eve looked straight into Roger's eyes and blew him a kiss. Then he went on stage and took the mike from her. "Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for my girl, Eve," he called out to the crowd, acknowledging her. "The song I'm not going to sing is dedicated to her. It's called I Melt, by Rascal Flatts, and goes something like this._

_I melt every time you look at me that way  
__It never fails anytime, anywhere  
__This burn in me is the coolest thing I've ever felt  
__I melt_

"_And now I have a surprise for her," said Roger as he finished, and he took off his guitar, set it on the stage, and reached out his hand to have her join him on stage. When she was standing next to him, he pulled her close with one hand and reached into the back pocket of his jeans for something._

"_Eve, I got you one of your birthday presents early— because her birthday is on the 16th of February, everybody— so Eve, do you want it early?" He handed her the mike so everyone would hear her answer._

_Eve gave Roger a quizzical look, trying to guess what he was up to. "Um…" She bit her lip as she heard the audience and her fellow bohemians cheering for her to say yes. Then she grinned. "OK, yes."_

_Roger grinned and reached into the back pocket of his jeans for something. Eve's eyes widened as her intuition kicked in and she thought she knew what was coming. Then her guess proved right, as Roger revealed a small box and he opened it. Inside was a small ring with diamond chips, but it was all he could afford._

"_Evangeline Kathryn Simmons, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, looking up at her, half-nervous and half-excited._

"_Roger, I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Eve said, nodding, and she sank to her knees to join him on the stage. He slipped the ring onto her finger, and by the time they both stood up, she was in his arms and he was kissing her passionately._

_After they broke apart, both laughing and crying happily, Eve turned to the crowd and took up the mike. "Well, looks like I'm getting married!" she announced, and the crowd exploded into applause._

"_Mark," Maureen yelled over the crowd, "did you know about this?"_

"_No!" he yelled back, getting the entire thing on film. "This is one secret Roger kept completely and entirely to himself!" Maureen gave Mark a surprised look. "I'm not kidding!" Mark insisted._

"_Way to go, Roger!" Collins said, congratulating them as they came offstage._

_Roger grinned and he held Eve closer to him. "Thanks, Collins."_

"_Now we need to celebrate," Collins began, "Roger's return to the music world and the honor of his new wife, Eve. Champagne all around!"_

"_Is wine all right?" the bartender asked._

_The Bohemians looked at each other and each of them cracked evil grins simultaneously. Eve got the impression she knew what was coming._

"_Wine and beer!" they yelled, as the crowd exploded into cheers again around the bride- and groom-to-be._

"_To my beautiful bride to be," Roger said, holding up his wine glass. "I love you, Eve, and thank you ever so much for saying yes."_

"_I love you, too, Roger," she said, staying as close to him as possible, her face beaming. "Thank you for everything. We've come a long way in a year. I went from having nothing to having everything a girl could dream of. Thank you so much. I love you so much," she said, crying as he put his glass down to hold her._

"_Don't think you're getting off on this that easy," said Mark. "We're gonna throw you the biggest engagement party and wedding you've ever seen." He laughed gleefully as his camera continued to reel._

"_Oh yeah, we really know how much Eve's parents love Roger," said Maureen, smirking._

"_Now all I have to do is call them and tell them how we met and how it all came to this," Eve said, and she laughed again._

"_That'll be interesting," said Roger, grinning down at her._

"_I know, baby. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if we can visit them this weekend."_

"_Just in time for your birthday on Saturday," Roger pointed out excitedly._

"_I know," she said, grinning. "That's my reason why."_

"_OK, Baby, whatever you want," he said, hugging her close to him. "I'm here for you always."_

"_I know, Roger," she said. "I've known that all along."_

_The Bohemians cheered as Roger and Eve kissed again. Both of them were beaming. They were so happy, practically golden._


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

* * *

"From there on, we went to Philadelphia to visit your grandpa and grandma, and luckily, they accepted Roger, disease and all, and they accepted the fact that I'd lied to them about my incident in Philly," Eve said, as she flipped pages. "Then we had our wedding, and I decided to move out with Roger, to get our own place. Mark had a fit—" she said, but then Leo cut her off.

"Tell us, Mom," he said.

"Well, OK," Eve said, "but it's pretty dramatic."

"Oh, come on," Dylan insisted as well. "We're 23, 17, and 13. We can handle it."

"All right," Eve said, and she began the next story.

"_Hey, Baby," he said, coming over to her. "How was work? Did you have fun without me for a change?"_

"_Good, Collins told you." Collins flashed Eve a smile. "It was great, I got a lot done. Luckily, I'm a freestyle photographer, so it doesn't matter how much I get done daily for them, as long as I buckle down and meet my deadlines." She grinned._

_Roger smiled and kissed her, pulling her close._"_Besides, we have something we need to talk about, Mark," Eve said, "something important."_

"_Important?" Mark asked, as they made their way to Tompkin Square._

"_Yes, important. Come on, we'll tell you on the way there." Eve took Roger's hand and they began to walk down the street, Mark right behind them._

_When they were a few blocks away from Tompkin Square, Mark stopped them and said, "All right, you two aren't going any further until you tell me what's going on. You're not pregnant or anything, are you, Eve?"_

_Eve was surprised. "No, Mark," she said, "I'm not." She glanced at Roger, warning him to stay cool. "But Roger and I need to tell you—"_

"_Yeah, I got that already," Mark talked over her. "What do you need to tell me? Come on, the suspense is killing me here. Just tell me."_

_So Eve did. "We're moving out of the loft and getting a place of our own."_

_Mark looked a bit shocked. Eve swallowed nervously. She'd known he'd react like this. "You- you are?" Mark stammered. "When, exactly?"_

"_We're going to start looking for a place in a couple of weeks. Mark," Roger said. "Eve and I were talking about it, and lately, I've been spending a lot of my time at her place anyway. But we're married, so that's OK, and I thought it would be a good idea to ask her if we should move out of the loft, sell her flat, and get a bigger place of our own, especially if we want to start a family someday. She thought it was a great idea."_

_Roger concentrated on Mark's face, which was looking rather confused, and a little upset._

"_Why don't you guys just move her stuff into the loft?" Mark asked._

"_Mark, our place would still be near East Village, maybe even in it. Us moving out is nothing personal against you or Collins or any of the others; it's just time we did. We won't be far away, just far enough away to get some alone time when we need it, without all you guys being drunk and high around us all the time. __I've decided to sober up for Eve, and it's not been hard to do, either, since alcohol doesn't agree with her when she does drink, she can support me in my sobering up. You'll still see us a lot."_

_Roger glanced at Eve, who gave him a silent cue to continue speaking. "You know, Mark, it's not like Eve's going to die on me like Mimi and April did. She's healthy and she doesn't have HIV. If either of us is to go first, it's going to be me." Eve elbowed him and he laughed._

"_You are evil," she teased, grinning at him._

"_I'm kidding, Baby," he added, grinning at her. "So Mark, don't you see? If something happens to me, she will know what to do, because you can teach her. You're the expert, and soon, she will be, too."_

_Mark nodded stiffly and didn't say anything. Roger sighed and put a hand to his head._

"_You can even start dating again, which would be a huge surprise," Roger said, chuckling and letting out his breath. Mark glared at him._

"_Mark, this is a good thing," Eve said. She put a concerned hand on his shoulder and found he was very tense. "Why aren't you happy for us?"_

"_I'm mad because you won't be able to take care of him if he gets sick, Eve," Mark snapped. "That's always been me, always. And now, suddenly, it's like he's abandoning me."_

"_Mark, I'm not abandoning you," Roger said pointedly, beginning to lose his patience. Mark began to walk away from Roger and Eve. "Mark, stop," Roger yelled after him, and he followed. "I'm moving on with my life. You should, too." Roger reached out a hand and spun Mark around to face him._

"_Roger, you're not gonna be around forever, with your AIDS and everything. So I want to take advantage of that for as long as I can. I don't want you to move out of the loft!" Mark yelled back, yanking himself out of Roger's grasp._

"_Mark, I know, but I love Eve and I want to spend even more time with her. With my job in Santa Fe, that's hard enough as it is, even if they can accommodate me from here. You'll always be my best friend. I will never forget our time together, and I will always be grateful for everything you've done for me. But I want to be with Eve. Please, Mark," Roger said, quieter, "don't do this. Be happy for us."_

"_I am happy for you," said Mark stubbornly._

"_Mark, I want you to accept that I choose to measure my life in love, and that love is from Eve. We all deserve happiness. My happiness is with Eve. Collins moved into and out of the loft several times, and you never made such a big deal then as you are now."_

"_Collins isn't my best friend!"_

_Roger sighed. "Mark, stop acting like a child. It's not like I'm moving halfway across the country," he said. "I'm just gonna be 15 minutes away. I will still be around a lot," he said, trying to calm things down._

"_I know, Roger. I'm just worried."_

"_What is there to worry about? Eve tells me twice a day to take my AZT," Roger interrupted. "Mark, no matter how much time this disease gives me, even if it's 10 years from now that I kick it, I want to have spent that time with Eve. She deserves as much time with me as you have gotten already, being my roommate for so long. Please, don't you see how happy she makes me?"_

"_I do see that, Roger, we all do, and I am happy for you. I have nothing against Eve. It's just that I don't want you to move out, OK? Why can't you guys just move into the loft together? That way you can both still be together and happy, and I'll still be there, too."_

"_With us moving out, you can have your life back, Mark. No more worrying, no more caretaking, just you."_

"_I guess there's nothing wrong with that," Mark said. "But Roger, everything bad seems to happen to you when I'm not there. Mimi dying, your overdose last year…"_

"_Paranoid…" Roger said in a sing-song voice, glancing at Eve and smirking at Mark. "I'm not going to stop needing that friendship just because I'm living with Eve."_

"_I know, Roger," said Mark, "and I'm trying not to overreact…" He saw Roger smirk again and scowled again. "Really, I am, but it's hard… I've become so used to having you all to myself."_

"_And now you have to share," Eve said sympathetically. "We understand how hard this must be for you; it's hard for us, too."_

"_You should think about having a beautiful, loving woman like Eve in your life, Mark," Roger suggested, pulling her close to him, "and that will probably make me being gone easier for you."_

_Mark heaved a deep sigh and squared his shoulders. "Well… if you're happy about this, then I guess I am, too," he agreed finally._

"_Thank you, Mark. I'm glad we understand each other," Roger said, smiling down at Mark._

"_Great," said Eve, and she started jumping up and down restlessly. "Now that this is resolved, can we please get back to the loft?"_

_Roger and Mark laughed. Roger put his arm around her. "Yes, Baby," he said, kissing the top of her head, "we can. Come on, Mark."_

_Mark nodded and smiled at Eve and they went back to the loft._


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

* * *

"Your dad's second CD, _Fallen Angel_, went gold after that," Eve said. "He wrote _Fallen Angel _for me and _Positive Promise _for Angel. I think the titles suit us both wonderfully, don't you, princess?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mom, I do," Angel said, smiling up at her mother. "What next?"

"Well, next, we adopted you," Eve said. "Joanne wasn't so keen on it, either. She said it would take months and a lot of paperwork and stress, but it was all worth it in the end, because we got you." Eve ruffled Angel's brown curls lovingly.

_27 years earlier_

_It was several months before they heard any news about a suitable child. On the 16th of August, Joanne came running into the Life Café, where Eve and Roger were having breakfast._

"_Oh my God, there you guys are," she said breathlessly. "I've been looking everywhere for you."_

"_Well, you found us," said Roger, stuffing kielbasa sausage into his mouth as he finished the sentence. "What's up?"_

"_An adoption agency called. They want to meet with you."_

_Roger choked on his sausage and Eve thumped him on the back. "They did?" he choked, his eyes streaming._

"_Yes, about half an hour ago. You two haven't been drinking, have you?"_

"_Jo, it's 10:30 in the morning, what do you think? Besides, don't you remember that we've both been sober for over a year now?"_

_Joanne smiled. "Yes, I remember. But I had to ask," she said. "Come on, let's go!"_

"_What do you think they want?" Eve asked._

"_I don't know, but we'd best find out," said Roger. He finished his sausage quickly and he and Eve followed Joanne out._

"_Hi, Joanne Jefferson, with Roger and Eve Davis, here to see Ms. Klein," Joanne said, in her most lawyer-like voice, to the receptionist._

"_One moment, Miss Jefferson," said the secretary, smiling at her._

"_Just a few more minutes," said Joanne to Eve and Roger. "Not bad for having waited six months." Eve and Roger could tell she was trying to be optimistic._

"_We really appreciate this, Jo," said Eve, "more than you know. Thank you so much."_

"_Don't thank me yet," said Joanne, "at least not until it's all over." She smiled at Eve. "But you two are my best friends, you deserve this."_

"_Miss Jefferson, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, right this way, please," said Ms. Klein, coming out to meet them. Eve and Roger followed nervously, Joanne right behind them._

"_Good afternoon, Ms. Klein," Joanne said, shaking her hand._

"_So I'm guessing you're wondering why we called in today?" Ms. Klein asked, going over to sit at her desk._

"_Yes, we are," said Roger, smiling at Eve._

"_A child has come in and we think you would be suitable parents for her. She is four years old and HIV-positive, but her prognosis is excellent and her viral load is low. She recently lost her mother to AIDS, and her father in a drug-related shooting."_

_Eve glanced nervously at Roger, but he squeezed her hand and she listened intently to what Ms. Klein had to say._

"_I know we discussed this and you had some concerns regarding adopting an HIV-positive child, but Roger, I think she really needs you and Eve to love her and care for her."_

"_Can we meet her?" Eve asked, wiping away the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes._

"_Are you sure you two don't want to talk about it first?" Joanne asked, looking at them from behind._

"_No, Jo, we're certain," said Roger. "We really want this child. You heard my girl. We want to meet her." He smiled at Ms. Klein._

"_We can arrange that," said Ms. Klein. "Can you be here in one week, on the 23rd?"_

"_That would work just fine," said Eve, knowing Roger would be around._

"_OK, when we're finished here, I'll just make a quick phone call and then we'll see you next week," said Ms. Klein._

"_What's her name?" Eve asked._

"_Angel Camille," said Ms. Klein. "Would you like to see a picture of her?"_

"_You have one?" Eve asked._

"_Yes, I do. Here you go," said Ms. Klein, handing them the photo._

"_Oh my gosh, Roger, she's so cute," Eve said. "Look at those big blue eyes! And she has brown ringlets, too!" Eve found there were tears in her eyes again. "She's beautiful, Ms. Klein."_

"_Could we have the papers drawn up, so they could take her home as soon as possible?" Joanne asked Ms. Klein._

"_I think we can arrange temporary custody until the adoption is finalized, yes," said Ms. Klein._

"_Thank you so much. Have a good day," said Roger, smiling at her before they left the office._

"_Can you believe it? This is our little girl," Eve said, smiling up at him._

"_It's hard to believe it's finally happening," said Roger._

"_We need to tell the others. I'm sure Maureen is gonna go berserk crazy."_

"_OK, Baby, anything you want."_

"_Thank you, Jo," Eve said to Joanne, who caught up with them. "This means so much to us."_

"_It was my pleasure, Eve," said Joanne. "But I was just your lawyer. You did the rest." She smiled at Eve._

"_Come on," said Roger, "we need to stop by the loft to celebrate."_

"_Rog, are you sure you're OK with her being positive?" Eve asked. "I mean, I know how you feel about that."_

"_Baby, I'm fine with her, HIV or not," Roger said, kissing the top of Eve's head. "Do I want her to have HIV? No. Do I want to love her and care for her anyway? Yes. Are you OK with it?"_

"_Yes, I am," said Eve, "same as you. After all, she's our little girl."_

"_Come on, you guys," Joanne said excitedly, wiping her eyes, "let's go tell the others. You're making me ruin my makeup."_

"_Sorry, Jo. OK, let's go," said Eve, as they left the building and went to the loft. "So, besides Aunt Maureen, how excited is Uncle Collins gonna be, do you think?"_

"_Uncle Collins?" Roger asked. "I'm more worried about Aunt Maureen, honestly."_

"_Oh God, she's gonna be really bad, isn't she, Aunt Joanne?" Eve asked Joanne._

"_I'm afraid so, Eve," said Joanne. Eve laughed._

"_We're bringing home a little girl," she said in awe, "our little girl, Roger."_

"_Our Angel," said Roger, and Eve knew he was right._


	35. Chapter 35

Shorter than usual, I know, but I'm finishing it up. Don't forget to review.

**Chapter 35**

* * *

Eve turned to the page that had the first picture of Angel Ms. Klein had given them. "There you are, little rock princess," she said, "curls and all. I found it very funny that Roger had a little rock princess sucking him in. It settled him down a lot."

Angel smiled. "I hated my ringlets back then," she said. "They always frizzed so badly, especially when you braided my hair." Rolling her eyes, she fluffed her hair affectionately. "But now I like them, they attract men."

Eve laughed. "OK, what story next?" she asked.

"Just keep going chronologically, Mom," Leo said, "until present-day. We like listening to you tell stories, even though we've heard them all our lives."

"All right," Eve said, thinking. "Oh, OK, I have a good one. It's when you were 11 months old, Leo."

_16 years earlier_

_Eve rushed into the house with nine-month-old Leo on her hip, and Angel clinging to her left hand. "Roger?" she called out. "Are you here?"_

"_In the living room, Baby," Roger called back. He looked up from where he was sitting at his desk. He noticed Leo was crying. "What's up? Is he OK?"_

"_Yeah, he's OK," Eve said. "We went to the doctor for inoculations today, so he's not happy." Eve nuzzled her son's cheek fondly, but he only screamed louder and pushed her face away. "Oh man… can you take him?"_

"_Well, you're mean for taking him to get shots on Valentine's Day— I mean, come on," Roger teased. "Yeah, Baby. Here," he said, taking Leo from her. Roger kissed his cheek and tossed him up in the air and caught him a second later. Roger made sounds to go with it, and soon, Leo had stopped crying, and was giggling gleefully instead. Eve gave Roger a sour look._

"_Why is it always me?" she asked, heaving a frustrated sigh. "That's not fair."_

"_Baby, he just missed his daddy," Roger said, grinning. "And that's the thing we do together, father-and-son, anyway."_

_Eve looked at him and grinned as they went into the kitchen to make dinner. "I have some great news," she said, barely able to contain her excitement anymore._

"_What, Baby?"_

"_Doctor Sheppard did some tests on Leo while we were there for inoculations— he's negative."_

_Roger let out a cheer and hugged her close with his free arm. "Oh my God, Baby," he said, "that's amazing. That's a miracle."_

"_I know," Eve said, tears in her eyes as she took Leo from Roger and set him down on the floor. She gave him a small pot. "Here, baby boy, that will keep you entertained until supper's ready."_

"_What are you making, Baby?" Roger asked._

"_I'm probably going to make stroganoff," Eve answered._

"_Mm," Roger said, hugging her from behind. "That's your specialty, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah," Eve said, smiling pleasantly. "But it's kind of hard to cook with you hanging on me, Baby."_

"_Oh. Sorry," Roger said, letting go of her. "But I like hanging on you, it is fun." Eve gave him a look, but she was smiling. "OK, I'll go play with the kids until you're ready for us to come eat."_

"_OK, Baby," Eve said, smiling at him. At that moment, Leo decided to bang the pot on the laminate floor extra hard. "Good boy," she added to him, grinning and laughing. "You be Daddy's drummer."_

_Roger grinned and picked up Leo and the pot, and went into the living room to play with his son and daughter._

"That was near the top of the happiest days of our lives, Leo, finding out you were negative. Besides our wedding, I guess, and when you guys were born. He loved you guys so much," Eve said, smiling reminiscently. "You made him prouder and happier than he ever thought he could be. I mean you, too, Dylan," she added. "You boys were both very good babies. You hardly ever cried. It was really nice."

Dylan nodded. "I know, Mom," he said. "Keep going."

Eve sighed. "Well, I guess this beats getting to bed early," she said, flipping more pages. "After that, I found out I was positive, and Collins died. Dylan, you probably won't remember. You were only nine."

Dylan nodded. "I remember vaguely," he said. "But it's probably a good thing I don't."

"It is a good thing you don't," Angel said. "I had to watch the whole thing. It was terrifying, because I had become closer to Uncle Collins a few weeks before that than ever before." She swallowed nervously and rested her head on Eve's chest. "I miss him, Mom."

"Me, too, Baby girl," Eve said. She looked down at Angel. "I can call you that, too, right?"

Angel chuckled. "Yeah, Mom, you can," she said. "I remember the day I asked Uncle Collins why he kept calling me that. And I asked him if he'd ever considered becoming straight again, but he said that Angel, up in Heaven, wouldn't hear of it."

Eve smiled. "He was always funny that way," she said.

"I really missed him, the day I graduated," Angel said. "But what you said really helped."

"What did I say, Angel?" Eve asked. "I'm old. I don't remember all of it anymore."

"You said that he was there, and that he saw me graduate. I have several pictures of him with me when I was younger. It makes it easier that he's gone."

"I agree, Angel," Eve said, hugging her and the boys close. "I love you guys."

"We love you, too, Mom," they said, and three of her most precious possessions by her side, Eve fell into a peaceful sleep.


	36. Chapter 36

I am sad to say this is the last chapter. The title is not mine, it belongs to Jonathan Larson. But it's one of my favorite Rent songs, so I decided to use it for the title of the last chapter.

I'm not sure when I'll be writing a Rent story next. I'll definitely try to finish Crash as soon as I can, but I don't know when that will be. Don't forget to review. Enjoy.

Thank you so much to Rosablasifann08 and Renthead621 for always being there for me. You've helped me so much. Our friendships are invaluable to me. Thank you.

**Chapter 36**

* * *

"I'm sorry, Eve," Doctor Sheppard said, giving Eve the most sympathetic of looks. "They're the lowest they've been since you were diagnosed. It's full-blown AIDS."

"How long do I have?" Eve asked.

"Maybe a month," Doctor Sheppard said. "Since you don't have long, I'm not going to require you to admit yourself into the hospital. That's your decision to make, of course, but I really think you should spend your final time with your family."

Eve smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Doctor Sheppard," she said. "I appreciate that more than you know."

"You're welcome, Eve," he said. "I'm sorry I have to be the one to give you this news. Go home to your family."

"I will. Thank you, Doctor."

Eve stood up and went home.

"How was the doctor, Eve?" Barbara asked, when Eve came through the door. The remaining Bohemians were gathered at Eve's house, just hanging out while they could. Leo and Adam were both going off to college on the West Coast soon, so they spent as much time at Eve's place as possible, before it ran out.

"Not good, Barb," Eve said worriedly. She looked up at Barbara, with tears in her eyes. "I have a month. The doctor said my t-cells are really low. Barb, I'm so scared."

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Barbara said, coming over and hugging her. "I understand how scared you must be. But you know Mark, Mo, Jo, and I will take good care of them when you're gone, right?"

Eve looked up. "Yes, I know," she said. "But Dylan's not even in high school… Both he and Leo have to graduate without me there, and Angel already had to graduate without Collins there to see her walk across the stage. Barb, I don't know what to do. I'm lost."

"I know what you should do," Barb said. Eve looked at her. "You should go in there and spend as much time as you possibly can with your boys and Angel. You should tell them the truth, too; you know how that goes."

"Yes, I do," Eve said. She hugged her friend. "Thank you, Barb, I'm so glad to have you as a friend. Thank God for you, Barb. Thank God, Mark walked into your classroom that day at the college."

Barb smiled and Eve went into the living room.

"Angel, boys," she said, "I need to talk to you."

"OK, Mom," Dylan said, coming over to sit in front of her with Angel and Dylan. "How was the doctor?"

Eve felt tears springing to her eyes, and Angel and the boys immediately picked up on it. "Not good?" Leo asked.

"No, Leo," Eve said, looking into his Kryptonite-green eyes that were just like his father's. "It wasn't good. I have a month. Guys, I'm so sorry. I wish I had more time, but I don't. So I'm not checking into a hospital, I'm spending it at home. I've left the _Times_, too.

"All I can really say is, I love you guys so much," Eve said. "I love all of you so much. Your friendships and your love, blood or not, have been so great and have meant so much to me. I know that Angel, Leo, and Dylan will all be in good hands once I'm gone. Thank you."

"That's what we're here for, Eve," Barbara said. "That's what family is for."

* * *

"Barb," Eve said, a few days later, from where she was laying in her bed, talking to Barbara, "I think you should get Angel and the boys."

"Is it time already?" Barbara asked, from where she was standing by the door.

"I think so," Eve said. "Barb, I'm so glad you came into my life. You're my best friend, along with Joanne. I don't know what I could have done without you lately."

Barbara smiled and came over to Eve. "I'll go get everybody," she said, and she walked out. Eve could see she was trying to keep her composure.

Angel, Leo, Dylan, and Mark came into Eve's room and all stood around her. She took Angel and Leo's hands and looked at each one of them individually.

"I'm sorry, guys," she said, "but it's time for me to go. I love you guys so much."

"No," Dylan protested, kneeling down and laying his head on her chest. "No, Mom, you can't go. It's not a month yet. Aunt Maureen and Joanne aren't here, either."

"I know, baby boy," Eve said, "but I have to go. I told them a couple days ago, they're prepared." She looked at Mark. "I'll miss you, big brother."

Mark smiled sadly. "I'll miss you, too, Eve," he said. "Make sure to tell everybody up there that I love them and miss them, OK?"

"I will be sure to," Eve said, as Mark kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently. "Can I talk to the kids alone for a moment?" she asked everyone.

"Sure," Mark and Barbara said, and they walked out.

Eve turned to Angel, Leo, and Dylan once the door had closed, as they caressed her grey-streaked red hair. "You guys know that Mark, Barb, Mo and Jo will take good care of you for me, right? I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but I guess I can't change that. Be good to them for me. I'll always love you. You guys were my world."

"We love you, Mom," they said, tears running down their face.

"I'm so glad that you kids are so good," Eve said. "It'll make my leaving easier. I'll tell your dad all about you guys, but I'm sure he already knows. I'm sure he's watching. Leo," she added to her eldest son, "could you please go get Barb and the others?"

"Sure, Mom," he said, and he walked out of the room. A moment later, he came back in, Mark and Barbara with him.

"I'll miss you guys," Eve said, looking at them one last time, as each one of them took her hands. Then she closed her eyes and peacefully slipped away.

"It's OK now, guys," Barbara said. "She's in a better place now, with all our friends up there. You can stay with her for a few minutes. I'm going to go call the ambulance."

Angel and her brothers nodded, and they stayed with Eve, Mark by their side.

* * *

"Hey, Baby, open your eyes and look at me."

Eve felt herself standing up, though she wasn't sure what she was standing on. She opened her eyes to a familiar face. "Roger," she said, running forward and hugging him. "I can't believe I'm finally seeing you again."

"I know, Baby," he said. "Are you OK?" he asked, seeing the look on her face.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm just a little light-headed. I'm sorry I had to leave the kids so soon, too. I know Leo and Angel are grown, but Dylan… he's not even in high school yet."

"He'll be fine," Roger assured her. "He's a good, smart, tough boy."

"He gets it from his daddy," Eve said, smiling as Roger leaned down to kiss her. They hugged tightly, tighter than they ever had before. She'd missed him so much over the past few months.

"Come on, I want you to meet everybody," Roger said, "and then Collins wants to show his Baby girl around."

"OK," Eve said, smiling, as Roger led her over to a small group of people. "This is April"— he indicated to the redhead— "Angel"— he indicated to Angel, who was standing next to Collins— "and Mimi." He indicated to the woman standing next to April. "And you already know Collins, of course."

"It's so good to see you again, Baby girl," he said, hugging her close.

"I've missed that hug more than you know, Collins," Eve said. "Angel has, too. You _did _watch her graduate, right?"

"Yep," said Collins. "I was so proud of her that day, you know."

"I know," Eve said, smiling up at him. "So how crazy has Roger been making you guys?"

"Super crazy," they all answered at once.

"Roger always said you were the heart of the family," Mimi said. "We can see that now."

Eve smiled. "Maybe I was," she said, "but only half, I think. I think he was the other half. That's why we made each other's lives the way we did. I love you, Roger," she said, kissing him passionately.

"I love you, too, Baby," Roger said, as he deepened the kiss, "and welcome home."


End file.
